Rin's Story
by morough
Summary: Sesshomaru finally gets fed up with grownup Rin and sends her away  into danger! She encounters a kind prince, a cruel demon clan, and an opportunity for a new life without Sesshomaru. Will Sesshomaru come to his senses in time and rescue her?
1. Chapter 1

Sesshomaru's booted feet stepped carefully through the carpet of dead needles and dry branches. Even though his demon blood aided his resistance to the extremes of the weather, he was grateful for the thick fur stole slung over his shoulder, and the heavy layers of his kimono. At least here, in the forest, the knitted branches of the trees kept off the worst of the snow. As he walked, he instinctively (and almost unconsciously) noticed the various minor demons of the forest around him. Squirrel-demons were sleeping soundly in their burrows, pillowed by smooth layers of nuts, and Sesshomaru even felt a bear-demon fast alseep with his mate in their underground cave. Sesshomaru walked on, noticing everything but noting nothing.

The sharp popping of burning wood reached Sesshomaru's ears long before he arrived at the campsite, and a modest cloud of smoke hovered above Jaken and Rin, trapped beneath the trees. Its scent made Sesshomaru's sensitive nose tingle pleasantly. The moment he entered the clearing Jaken and Rin rushed to greet him. Jaken's annoying voice pierced Sesshomaru's dog-ears painfully (as usual) and Rin bowed respectfully from a few feet away. As Sesshomaru glided by them, not bothering to notice them, an odd thought crossed his mind.

_When did Rin stop hugging me? Not that I miss it, of course. I am foolish to have let such a detail, however small, escape me for so long._

Sesshomaru banished the thought the moment it entered his head, but it left behind a troubling. Well, not so much troubling as annoying. Sesshomaru never allowed himself to be troubled. He sat down gracefully at the foot of an old tree and accepted a steaming bowl from Rin and ate it slowly, savoring the sweet spices.

"Does the soup please my Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru looked up to meet Rin's clear blue eyes, which were waiting hopefully for a reply. Rin continued. "I found the herbs myself, my Lord, they were buried beneath the snow, but not very deep. And I was the one who also set the snare for the snow-fox."

"I hardly noticed. I eat human food so infrequently that I cannot discern any particular good or bad qualities in any dish" Sesshomaru said cooly.

Rin's smile broadened. "But you did not say that the soup was bad! You would have, had you disliked it." 

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. _True. _Rin turned away and stirred the soup with a stick stripped of its bark. Sesshomaru studied her for a few minutes. The thought and feeling from when he had first entered the clearning returned. Rin had grown up. She wasn't the little girl he had rescued from death any more. She was a woman, and the dirty castoffs that she wore couldn't hide it. Sesshomaru was never one to keep track of human time, but it must be nearly twenty years since that day, or more. He had given her no encouragement, no promises, to guarentees of wealth or power, as other demons would promise human companions - yet she had stayed with him. Even when he walked away without warning or made pacts with demons more evil than he, she had not turned away. What was wrong with her? _Foolish human girl._

But_ why_ had she stayed? Perhaps it was for protection, as he had brought her back from the dead (twice), and she was an orphan, but he never said he would protect her. Quite to the contrary, she and Jaken were left defenseless about half the time when he went off to attend to his business. Sesshomaru knew why Jaken stayed; his type were always looking for someone more powerful to feed off. Rin, on the other hand...there was no practical reason why she should still be there. 

"Rin. I must ask you a question." He might as well ask, now that he was thinking of it. There was no reason why he should not. Rin looked away from the soup and folded her hands respectfully in her lap. Her blue eyes stared into Sesshomaru's. 

"Why have you stayed with me? You have no reason to. Especially now. It would be quite easy for you, a grown woman, to find a man in any of the villages that we pass who would be willing to give you a home. Yet you choose to stay. Why?"

Rin blinked and looked away from Sesshomaru, down at the wintry ground. A faint color came to her cold-pinched cheeks, a delicate red hue that dusted her high cheekbones. "I...I could not say my Lord. I have never found reason to leave."

Sesshomaru frowned. "That is ridiculous. There is plenty of reason for you to leave. Why would a human remain with such a dangerous demon? I welcome danger like the earth welcomes the rain. You have been thrown into the pits of Hell and died. Your life has been endangered many times before and after that. Yet you remain. There is no sense in it."

Rin gasped and her eyes filled with crystal-clear tears. "Does...does my Lord imply that he wishes I were no longer here?"

Sesshomaru opened his mouth to answer, then closed it slowly. The answer was so simple, and it had sprung to his lips in an instant - _yes_. Things would be so much simpler without Rin. His enemies had used her against him more than once, allowing them to escape or further their plots. She was an encumbrance that a powerful demon could not afford; at least Jaken had the Staff of Two Heads that he could protect himself with, but Rin was only a weakling human. Having Rin around was like having an infant slung around his neck. She always made him follow an irrational path - like when she had fallen into Hell, and he had gone to get her out. He shouldn't have done that, yet he did. 

Yet...why had he not replied immediately? He knew what the answer was, but something kept him from saying it. Sesshomaru was surprised at himself ._Am I allowing myself to be overcome by petty emotions? Impossible. This really _is _ridiculous. _

"Yes, Rin. You should leave."

The words fell harshly in the winter-white clearing. Rin gasped, and covered her mouth with her hands. Her tears spilled over her eyelashes and on to her cheeks, and left dark patches on the front of her kimono. With a sob, she leapt to her feet and stumbled out of the clearing, crashing some distance into the trees before falling to her knees. She thought she was far enough away to mask the sounds of her sorrow, but Sesshomaru's dog-hearing could hear every intake of breath, and every beat of her heart; the familiar sound of her heartbeat was distorted by the tears. Jaken was staring at Sesshomaru with his mouth open, his staff hanging limply in his clawed hand. If Lord Sesshomaru was sending Rin away..."Must I leave too, my Lord?" Jaken asked in a tremulous voice.

Irritation, hot and white, flashed within Sesshomaru and boiled his demon blood. "Yes," he said, and his irritation permeated the single syllable like a crack of lightning. "You too, Jaken." Carefully setting aside his bowl, Sesshomaru stood and dusted snow off his kimono, and left, leaving Jaken's mournful wails and the steady sound of Rin's heartbeat behind him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Ah-Un plodded steadily through the thigh-high snow (her thighs) as Rin and Jaken huddled together on her broad back. The fire in her belly warmed them, but the shrill wind still chilled them to bone. Though Rin had scrubbed her face until the icey crystals of her tears had disappeared, her eyes still welled with liquid any time she thought of Sesshomaru. Which was often.

"Jaken?" she said tremulously, "will the Lord Sesshomaru come and get us? Did he truely abandon us?" Jaken sighed and clutched the staff of two heads. "Lord Sesshomaru has a hot temper, even if he rarely shows it. His hidden anger is far more frightening then when he is actually beating me! I do not know what drove him to do this, but I think he is serious.

Rin began to cry again. _But _whyShe screamed at herself._ What did I do wrong!? I have served him faithfully all these years, yet he throws me aside without warning! Doesn't he know that I love him? I know that a great demon like him could never love a mortal woman such as I...but I thought at least that he cared for my company! He always returned to me, he always protected me, he always made sure I was happy and safe. I angered him somehow. I wish I knew how, but now I shall never see him again... _

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Prince Taromaru reined his horse in and lifted up his gloved hand for silence. His retinue stopped behind him, silently obeying their master. His white horse stomped its foot impatiently, and the silence was broken by the soft ringing of the silver bells sewn into his harness.

"Do you hear something, Ryoichi?" Taromaru asked softly, beckoning his manservant to move closer. The man cocked his head to the side and closed his eyes, listening intently. After a moment, a small crease appeared between hs brows. "It is...it is someone cying, sire. A woman, I would say." Taromaru frowned, and gripped the reins of his horse tighter. "She must be in trouble," he said, spurring his horse forward at a trot. Within a few seconds a great, scaled, beast came into view, with a young woman on its back. A small, green demon was clutching her possessively. "Demons!" Taromaru cried, urging his horse forward as fast as it could through the snow. "We must free the girl!" 

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Rin gasped as a shout erupted from behind them. Before she could think, a cloud of spears flew through the air and pinged off Ah-Un's bronze sides. The beast shrieked and rose on its hind legs in panic, dropping Rin and Jaken in the snow. She cried out in fear and pain as she fell through the snow and her head struck a buried stone, and tried to pull herself out of the deep snow back to Ah-Un's back. The next moment was a terrifying frenzy of pounding hooves and flying snow as the band of horsemen overtook her. "Fly away, Ah-Un!" she cried, trying to shield herself with her arms. There were too many warriors! With another shriek, Ah-Un leaped into the air, with Jaken clutching her tail fearfully. The two demons eventually faded into the granite-colored sky, leaving Rin alone in the snow, surrounded by a band of warriors. Rin gasped with fear as one of the men dismounted and strode toward her, his hand on his sword hilt. Then the world swirled before her eyes, and she fell into a world full of flitting white snow and Ah-Un's strange cries.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Rin awoke with a soft gasp, residual fear pulsing through her veins - where did all the snow go? - but she realized that she was alone. She was in a medium-sized room with warm wooden walls, partially covered by long tapestries depicting flowers or garden scenes. Small, cheerful lamps were scattered over the walls in carved sconces that resembled lotus flowers. She was lying in the softest bed she had ever even imagined, and there was one window - with glass panes! The riches themselves would have made Rin drop her mouth with amazement, but the situation worried her. The band of men had attacked her...they had tried to kill Ah-Un and Jaken, and separated her from them...Rin dropped her head down into her hands. She didn't want to cry any more, but she felt so helpless and confused...

The door at the far end of the room slid open, and made no noise on its oiled runners. Rin heard it, however, and whipped her head up to see who had entered. A young man stood just inside the doorway, paused in the act of sliding the door shut. His kimono was obviously as rich as the room around him, but the pattern was not flamboyant or garish. His kimono was a simple dark green, almost black, with a cream pattern of dragons and mythical flames around the edge. His hair was long and black and flowed down to his elbows. His eyes were dark, but kind. His features were angled, but not angular. The way he stood, so confident yet unassuming, reminded Rin of Lord Sesshomaru...

Her eyes widened as she suddenly remembered all that had passed. This man was the one who had led the band of men to separate her and her friends! "Who are you, who has done this to me!?" she screamed, throwing herself at him. He was surprised for a moment, but not so surprised that he lost his head. He grabbed her wrists to keep her from scratching his face and held her at arms length for a few seconds, until she collapsed, sobbing, at his feet. He knelt in front of her, completely bewildered at her actions. "My Lady...?" he asked. "Are you feeling all right?" Rin continued to cry, but her anger rose. "You took me away from Jaken and Ah-Un!" she screamed, "after my Lord Sesshomaru sent me away, too! I hate you!"

Taromaru found himself completely at a loss and simply watched her cry. His retainer, Ryoichi, opened the door behind him, and stopped with surprise at the scene before him. "My Lord?" he asked, "what is going on?" Taromaru sighed and carried the now softly-crying Rin back to the bed, and lay her back beneath the covers. "I do not believe we have a full understanding of what has happened to this girl, Ryoichi," he said softly, retreating fron the room. "she mentioned our rescue, when we drove off the demons. She said that she hated us for it, that we did her some injustice...I fear that she is still under the control of the demons. We must find a way to free her of their grasp."

The two men stood in silence together outside of Rin's room. Crickets chirped outside under the waning moon, and a cool winter breeze made the corridor more than a little chilly.

"My Lord, I have an idea that may solve this problem...

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Ryoichi panted as he crested the green hill; it had taken the better part of a week to get to this small temple, and his horse wasn't as young as it used to be. The ungrateful fat equine was trotting, happy as grass, but was making Ryoichi walk the last bit of the journey. _Cruel beast_. 

A small child was playing with round, colored stones in front of a modest hut to the right of the temple. His kimono was decorated with colorful triangles, and his short black hair was tied back into a tiny ponytail at the base of his neck. "Excuse me, young man," Ryoichi panted, "I am seeking the great excorcist, the monk Miroku."

The child's face brightened, and he scooped his marbles and leapt to his feet in one smooth, energetic movement. "Papa is in the garden with Mama right now!" he said, running around the back of the hut. Ryoichi shuffled along after him. 

A man in monk's clothing was lying on the ground, being severely beaten by a woman with a fearsome look on her face.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Miroku!"

"You're my wife!" the man on the ground protested, trying to shield himself from her blows, "I can hug you if I want to!"

"Not the way you hug! Not out in the open! Not where anyone can see! Not where the _children_ can see!!"

"There are no children around! And no one else is around either...!!" 

"Ahem," Ryoichi coughed softly.

With a muffled shriek, the woman threw herself away from Miroku and upon a hoe, and began to attack the ground between the cabbages ferociously. Miroku gingerly gained his feet and brushed the dust off his robes. "Hello, my good man!" he said, wiping dirt of his forehead and wincing as his fingers located a sizable lump on his cheek, "what business have you here? Do you need a good meal before continuing your journey? Or have you come to present your prayers at the temple? It's open, you can go right in, and Songo here can prepare you a meal...if...if you ask nicely..."

Songo ignored him. 

"I actually am in desperate need of your assistance, good monk," Ryoichi said, taking his cap off as the man limped closer. "I am in the service of the Lord Taromaru, the Lord of these regions from the mountains to the Great Lake. Of late he rescued a young girl from her demon captors, but she is still under their potent spell. She attacks any human who draws near, especially my benevolent Lord Taromaru, for she recognizes him as her rescuer. Your reputation precedes you, sire, as a reputable excorcist - " 

From behind them, Songo doubled over in a violent coughing fit.

" - and my Lord humbly requests your assistance in liberating this girl from her shadowed past. He will pay, my Lord is not wanting for either funds or generosity - "

"I shall do it," Miroku said gravely, clapping his hand on Ryoichi's shoulder in a friendly manner. "There is no need to talk about payment now. It is my life's purpose to battle evil demons, and I shall do my best to...hello Songo..."

Ryoichi jumped as Songo's fearsome countenance appeared next to Miroku. "A young girl beset by demons, is it?" she asked sharply. "How eagerly you have accepted this dangerous task."

"Well...if the girl's pretty...I mean, if she's in danger...if there's a demon..."

"Mmm-hmm," Songo sniffed, shifting her gaze to Ryoichi. The manservant winced, fearing her wrath.

"My husband and I _both _will help this girl."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

One week later the trio stood in Lord Taromaru's tea-room, and soft white steam rose in fragrent ribbons from delicate cups brimming with golden tea. "I understand that she will not see anybody, my Lord?" Miroku asked, sipping the tea. _Mm. Expensive tea, and for a monk...this man is indeed wealthy._

"Yes. She has been here a fortnight, and will hardly let the women in to bring her clothing or rekindle the brazier. She has not spoken since that first night, and if she sees even the slightest glimpse of me she flies into a horrible rage. She has tried to escape; after the second attempt, we posted a guard about her door and window, though I cannot bring myself to lock her door. She has no control over her mind, after all."

"How interesting. The girl in trapped in a complex web indeed, if the demon can sustain its spell without being in contact with her. How would you describe the demon?"

"I caught but a short glimpse of it. It was small, green, and had claws - but I couldn't see anything more than that. It rode upon a giant, two-headed beast."

"It doesn't sound very powerful. For a demon of that size, it may use a talisman to keep its evil hold on the girl. Yet you say she has changed her clothes more than once since she's arrived?"

"Twice. It was all the women could do to convince her. If they had found anything upon her that could be used for that purpose, they would have told me."

"Then we can rule that out. This is a very troubling situation. I would see the girl." He rose to his feet, and his wife rose with him. Miroku grinned. "Songo, are you going to acompany me?" 

Her glare noticably chilled the air of the room.

Lord Taromaru led Miroku and Songo, followed by Ryoichi, to the door of Rin's room. The guards bowed respectfully and stood to one side. Taromaru hesitated at the door and turned toward the monk. "I do not think I should accompany you, she will only become angry. I will retreat to the tea-room, but if you need any help to calm her down, these men here will answer to you." "Thank you," Miroku said, bowing. Then he and Songo entered the room.

Night was falling and the lamps had not yet been lit, so the corners of the room lurked in dim half-shadows. Through the window the stars were just beginning to dust the sky, and a light snow was beginning to fall. A bronze brazier smouldered next to the bed, casting a red light upon the slim figure of a girl with her knees curled to her chest.

"Go away."

Miroku opened his mouth to say something, but Songo put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Let me speak to her first," she whispered. Miroku nodded, but gripped his Shakujo staff harder. If this girl really was demon-possessed..."Songo, please be careful," he whispered. 

Songo walked toward the girl, and knelt just before her. "Hello. My name is Songo. What's yours?" she put a hand on the girl's shoulders, but the girl slapped her hand away. However, Songo glimpsed her face for an instant -

"Rin!" 

The girl looked up, shocked to hear her name spoken. "Songo?"

Miroku hurried forward, kneeling beside his wife. "Rin! What are you doing here? You're not really demon-possessed, are you?" Songo glared at him. "Sorry," he said, "but the lord of this castle is worried that you are demon-possessed because you're acting so wild..."

"Miroku! Can't you see she's crying!?"

Miroku's face softened as he saw Rin's tears. "Rin, what happened? Where's Sesshomaru and Jaken?"

Rin told them the story between ragged sobs, her betrayal and fear of the future showing through.

"A-and now this lord has t-taken me in, but I can't s-stop thinking of Lord S-Se-Sesshomaru..."

Songo held Rin as she cried, and looked at Miroku over Rin's head. "What do we do, Miroku?" she asked, "If Sesshomaru's finally abandoned her, then she's homeless..."

"He didn't abandon me!" Rin said wildly, "he'll come back for me! He's always come back for me...!"

"Hush, hush. You know, maybe the gods have actually given you a good thing here, Rin..."

Rin looked up at Miroku, surprised. "What?"

"I'm sorry if it pains you, but Sesshomaru has made it clear that he doesn't want you around any more. The Lord Taromaru found you, and he seems quite taken with you. He's very worried about your well being. He will take care of you if you let him, Rin."

"That's true," Songo mused, "he would if he could. Maybe you should stay here, Rin. We'll tell him that your curse was broken, and you can live with Lord Taromaru." At this, Rin burst into tears once more. 

Miroku indulged in a slight frown._ "_You should at least consider staying for a little while, Rin. Here at least you have a soft bed, a roof over your head, and plenty of food. It would be wiser to remain here and wait for Sesshomaru to come to you, rather than risk your life alone in the wilderness with no protection. If Sesshomaru were to change his mind, it would be no trouble for a great demon such as he to find you again, and meanwhile you would be safe. Don't you think Sesshomaru would much rather find you happy and healthy than starving or dead?" _'If'..._Miroku sighed inwardly, and meanwhile tried to affix an honest, earnest countennce on his face. Rin looked up from Sango's shoulder and sniffled. "You really think so?" Miroku nodded. "Yes, Rin. No one is forcing you to stay here, but I do think this is what would make Lord Sesshomaru happy." He watched for a reaction.

After a moment, Rin nodded shakily. "I guess so..."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

OmGOSH!! It is so hard to put line breaks in these things…why is the formatting so stupid!? Anyhoo! This is my first Inuyasha fanfic, so read and review please:D

And I'm sorry if the format on this page is still messed up. I can never figure out what will take or not as far as page breaks :P

Morough


	2. Chapter 2

Sesshomaru sat cross-legged on the edge of a cliff, gazing at the scenery below him. The whole world was spread out at his feet (_As it should be,_ he thought). The forests were a dark cloth with shadowy dimples where valleys lay, and the entire cloth was scattered with melting snow. Small glimmering snakes of rivers wound sinuously across broad fields.

A shadow fell across his shoulder. Sesshomaru smiled in anticipation. He had felt the demon's evil miasma the moment he had come out of the trees.

"Sesshomaru," it growled. Sesshomaru's knuckles cracked and his claws extended a little farther as he flexed the small bones in his hands. In a white whirl, Sesshomaru leaped to his feet and spun about, slashing at his enemy with his claws. The demon grunted in surprise and pain, and Sesshomaru leaped over his head to the more advantageous position on the cliff, away from the edge.

The demon he faced was a brown-purple color, like a rotting plum. Small patches of ochre-colored fur nested under his chin. His features were somewhat reptilian, but resembled a giant bird more than anything; it had a beak and featherlike tufts of yellow fur sprouting from its head and running down its crest. Its eyes gleamed in anticipation of a fight.

"Who are you?" Sesshomaru asked disdainfully. He couldn't remember ever having met this demon at all. It was a powerful yokai, yes, but not as powerful as Sesshomaru. He should not have picked a fight.

"My name is of no importance to you, Sesshomaru. Just know that you will die by my strength!! Gwaaaaah!!"

Sesshomaru sighed. He was disgusted by the demon's pathetic dramatics. Yet, for some reason, the demon seemed…confident. Sesshomaru dismissed the notion. He could destroy this demon easily.

"Your arrogance is astounding, Nameless One. You shall die all the same."

Sesshomaru sprang forward and unfurled his long whip from his claw. He leaped over the demon once again, scoring the demon across the top of his head. The demon howled in pain, but did not fall. Sesshomaru frowned. The demon must have an unusually thick hide to only receive a scratch from his powerful whip. _Oh well. He shall fall with the next blow._ Sesshomaru dodged the demon's gigantic claws, then swung his whip so that it curled around the demon's short neck. With a burst of energy, Sesshmaru pulled the whip tight, then retracted it back into his claw. The purple demon's head fell from its trunk and hit the ground with a resonating thump, leaking smoking blood onto the green grass.

_Fool._

Sesshomaru turned to walk away, but a disgusting squelching and stretching sound made him turn back. From the demon's decapitated body, two heads sprouted from the severed neck. They gleamed with slick, fresh blood, and roared as fresh air filled deflated lungs. _Interesting._ Sesshomaru drew his sword this time. _I'll cut off the heads, then while it is rejuvenating I will stab it through the heart. This shouldn't be too difficult._ He knocked aside the demon's claws and ducked from the demon's snapping heads, and cut one off as he leaped to the side to avoid an attack. But even as he moved back in to remove the last head, two more grew where the first one had come off. _It's rejuvenating much faster than before._ Now he stood facing the four-headed demon as it licked its own blood off its lips and bared its jagged fangs.

"You see, Sesshomaru," it gloated, using all of its heads to speak in one jarring chord, "you have only served to feed my strength. I will feast on your flesh!" The four heads sucked in a collective breath and breathed out a noxious cloud of gas that enveloped Sesshomaru. Little jewel-bright flames flickered within the gray cloud, but it did not ignite as a whole. Sesshomaru gripped the hilt of his second, sheathed sword, and waited for something to happen. _Tenseiga will protect me._

Sesshomaru gasped as pain exploded in his body. A blue-white light swallowed him, shielding him from the burning gas cloud, and he recognized the bright light as Tenseiga's healing power, but it was different; cracks of black ran through the icy cocoon, and it shivered as though it were a leaf before the wind. Then it broke, with a horrifying sound of shattering stone, and Sesshomaru screamed as the pain took him afresh.

He finally gained control of his senses enough to realize that he was lying, panting, on the ground, in front of the purple demon. He leapt to his feet and staggered back a few steps, clutching Tenseiga in a death-grip.

_Why did you fail me!?_

The demon's laughter rang painfully through Sesshomaru's ears as he tried to regain his breath. "You see, Sesshomaru? You are no match for us! We will destroy you! And once we do, we shall be the most powerful demon in this land! Hahahahaa!!"

Sesshomaru closed his eyes, schooling his breathing to a calm, steady rhythm. He could feel the tremors in the ground as the demon lumbered closer, trying to keep its balance with its triple addition of heads. Then he flicked his eyes open, and grinned a wild, fanged grin at his foe. His eyes glowed red.

With an almighty roar, he transformed into his giant dog form. With a single sweep of his right paw, he crushed the demon against the ground, and dug his claws into his body. The demon screamed, and this time the sound soothed Sesshomaru.

_How dare you attempt to defeat me. How dare you cause me pain!_

With another contemptuous flick, Sesshomaru ripped the demon's body in two, sending one over the cliff, but keeping the upper half of the torso. With a single gulp, he swallowed it whole, and savored the feeling of its body disintegrating in the poisonous acids of his demon stomach. With a weary sigh, he morphed back into his human form, and frowned as his humanoid stomach reacted unfavorably to the remaining bits of demon in his belly. Sesshomaru forced down the bile in his throat and picked Tokijin off the ground and sheathed it. He walked back to the forest, leaving the carnage of his battle behind him.

_Why did the Tenseiga fail me?_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Totosai sat cross-legged in front of a long, flat stone. He drew a deep breath and blew orange flames from his mouth so that they covered the sword and made it glow a warm red. He swung his giant hammer again and again, flattening and shaping the sword as he saw it in his mind's eye. Sword mongering always made him feel happy. It was what he had been born to do…

"Gack!!"

Totosai choked on a particularly hot flame as he beheld the form of a very pissed off Sesshomaru standing at the entrance to his cave. "Lord Sesshomaru!" he cried, dropping his hammer with a resounding ring of metal. He scrambled to his feet, with the red hot sword still in his hand. From outside, Moosai lowed mournfully. "To what I credit your visit, Sesshomaru? Is Tokijin not working the way you want it to? Or are you jealous once again of your brother's possession of Tetsaiga?"

"None of those. I have a simple question, about the Tenseiga."

Totosai's eyes widened with surprise. "So, you are finally showing some interest in your inheritance, are you?" he asked. "Good. What is your question?"

"It…it no longer protects me the way it used to. It falters before demonic attacks that it previously would have withstood. I am at a loss as to why. Could it be that the sword has a fault? If so, tell me what it is."

Totosai sighed and sat down again, relieved that Sesshomaru hadn't come to kill him. "Well," he grumbled, "the Tenseiga wouldn't fail without a good reason, such as a crack in the blade, and since you haven't mentioned one I'll assume that either you didn't see it or you don't know about it. May I see the Tenseiga?" Sesshomaru mutely drew the sword and handed it to Totosai. The sword flared blue-white for an instant, then faded. Totosai sniffed the sword, licked it, and breathed an experimental puff of flame onto it. To Sesshomaru's eyes, nothing happened, but Totosai suddenly said "aah," and patted the sword's blade as though trying to comfort it. "What is wrong with it?" Sesshomaru asked, a little annoyed at Totosai's reaction. Totosai glared at him accusingly and handed the sword back to Sesshomaru with a grudging motion.

"Your Tenseiga is sad, Sesshomaru," Totosai said sagely, crossing his hands deep inside his robes.

"Sad. I do not understand."

"No, you wouldn't.

_Mysterious bastard. Just answer me!_

"The Tenseiga is similar to the Tetsaiga in many ways, more ways than just being forged from your father's fang. They both require a person to protect, someone other than the owner, to feed its power."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed to angry slits in his face. He knew exactly where this was heading.

"The Tenseiga is especially dependant upon such protection. Without it, its power would immediately taper off and become nothing more than a sword of minor power, perhaps able to heal a common cold but nothing more than that. Something must have changed, a short time ago, that has thrown the Tenseiga into a state of mourning." Totosai grinned slyly. "I notice that you do not have young Rin or Jaken with you…"

From outside the cave, Moosai jerked his head up with surprise as sounds resembling those of a minor earthquake exploded from his master's cave. A small dust cloud had formed, and Sesshomaru stalked out of the center of it, shoving Tenseiga back into its sheath with angry energy. Moosai lowed loudly. _Master?_ A few minutes later, as Sesshomaru was disappearing on the horizon, Totosai staggered out and dunked his head in a bucket of water. When he emerged, Moosai saw that his head was covered in angry red bumps. Moosai mooed worriedly until Totosai tottered over to him and began to pat him reassuringly on the head. He was giggling like a child, hardly able to contain his merriment.

"I do believe that the Lord Sesshomaru will turn out all right, o Fat and Happy Cow!!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Thank you. Your assistance has been invaluable. I cannot thank you enough for freeing Rin of her demon control; I am forever in your debt. Are you sure you will not accept any payment as a token of my gratitude?"

Miroku opened his mouth to reply, but stopped himself from speaking as Songo surreptitiously elbowed him in the ribs.

"I – ouch – of course not. A monk has no need of earthy riches," he said in a resigned tone of voice, "performing the exorcism is enough reward for me." He pressed his palms together and bowed, first to Taromaru and then to Rin, who was standing quietly by his side. Songo stepped forward and hugged Rin. "Remember, you can come and see us any time you like, you'll always be welcome in our home," she reminded Rin. Rin smiled slightly and nodded, but gave Songo a tight hug. Songo bowed to Taromaru, then she and Miroku set off.

They walked in silence for some ways, until they had passed out of sight of Taromaru's palace. The snow had melted in an unexpected burst of sunshine, and now only a hard wind blew. Songo clutched her cloak tighter about her body.

"So…do you think we convinced her to stay?"

Miroku sighed. "I hope so. She must realize that she has no where else to go. However, I am worried that she may not be able to see this so easily – it seems that she did have great feelings for Sesshomaru."

Songo shivered, and not entirely with cold. "How could she love someone like Sesshomaru! He's evil! All he wants to do is become the most powerful demon in the world! Well, and kill Inuyasha…and how is that any different from Naraku?"

"Naraku tried to twist the power of the Shikon no Tama to do his bidding. To my knowledge, Sesshomaru has never even possessed a single jewel shard. This makes them very different."

"Okay, so one is taking a shortcut and the other isn't, but they're both heartless demons with no regard for human life. Or demon life, for that matter. Sesshomaru has shown that plainly; Rin and Jaken were his constant companions for years, and he left them by the roadside on a whim!"

Miroku sighed again, and pulled his robe tighter against a particularly strong gust of wind. "I don't particularly disagree with you on any one point, Songo, but in my heart I feel that Sesshomaru is different, somehow…"

"That's exactly what Rin thought. Look where it got her."

Miroku frowned, and said nothing.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Rin-san, will you not eat something?"

Rin looked up at Taromaru, startled. Had she been daydreaming again? She quickly banished an image of Sesshomaru from her mind and dutifully picked up her chopsticks.

"Are you still bothered by something? I had hoped after your exorcism you would be…well, that you would be happier."

Rin's breath caught in her chest and she clutched her chopsticks hard. How could she forget Sesshomaru so easily? He had been the focus of her life since she was eight. You can't cut off a leg and expect to walk the next day. Rin jerked with surprise as she realized that Taromaru was gently holding the hand clutching the chopsticks. If they had been wooden, they would have broken by now. Misinterpreting her reaction, Taromaru hastily withdrew his hand and schooled his features into polite blankness. Rin felt embarrassed. Perhaps she should explain things to him, to put him at ease. He was her host, after all, and perhaps for the rest of her life. She tried to think of what she could say.

"Well, I was in love with this really evil demon, but he doesn't love me so I'm _really _bummed about it, and then you came along and separated me from my only remaining friends. Other than that, I'm just peachy!"

Perhaps she should modify her story. A lot.

"Please excuse my behavior, Taromaru-sama. Now that my mind has been freed from that demon, the memories of my life before have returned to me."

_Oh no…is she betrothed? Is she _married

"Before I fell into the claws of the demon, I was wed to a lord of the mountains."

_Ah. Damn._

"However, he is much older than I, and no real love existed between us. I was only a bauble in his pretty palace, and my father had given me to him in order to have less of a financial burden. My husband was not adulterous, as a wife would fear, but simply had no interest in women; his love was for the battlefield. Finally, he announced that he had no need of a wife and that he was going to send me back to my father. I felt so ashamed. However, when I arrived back at my father's house, I discovered that it had been beset by demons, and that my father was dead. I tried to flee, but my guards were slain. The demon who was responsible for my father's death decided that he would make me his woman, and put me under a spell to subdue me. I had only been with him two days before you rescued me."

Rin's voice became steadily shakier toward the end of her tale, as the truth tapered into lies and the actual version of events played over in her mind. She closed her eyes and turned away, trying to regain control of her emotions. "I'm sorry…recounting these events is painful," she finally said, trying to excuse her visible emotions.

Taromaru sat silently, stunned by Rin's tale. _Poor girl. She has lived through sad times indeed. An unkind husband, a slain father, an evil demon…it's a wonder that she is sane at all. _An overwhelming wave of pity and love washed over Taromaru. _So sad, and so beautiful. I will protect her. I will give her the love that she ought to have had. _He remembered how Rin had jerked away from his touch._ However, I must not hurry her or force my love upon her. She has been through so much, and I acted thoughtlessly. I know better now. I will treat her gently._

Taromaru rose silently and knelt in front of Rin. Her eyes were still closed, and she was trembling slightly with the effort not to cry. A single bead of liquid glistened on her cheeks. _No more tears!_ She shouted at herself.

"Rin..."

Rin opened her eyes, and saw Taromaru in front of her. His face held an array of emotions that Rin could not discern.

"Perhaps you already have already sensed my intentions, but I wish to state them clearly, to put your mind at ease. You will always have a place here, in my house. From your tale, I understand that you have no home to go to; from this moment on, you will be a lady of my court, if you so wish." His heart thumped within his chest. He watched her silent face, wondering what was going on behind her dark, liquid eyes. _Please accept. I have not known you for a month, and already I am as much in love with you as the moon loves the night._

Inside Rin's mind, a battle was waging. Her heart wished that Sesshomaru would step through the door this moment and carry her away – her mind, on the other hand, spoke in Songo's voice, what she had told her the night before she left.

"_Perhaps Sesshomaru will come for you, Rin…but I know Lord Taromaru would be very sad if he did."_

Songo's voice had held obvious scorn as she spoke Sesshomaru's name. But maybe…maybe Songo was right. Besides (Rin's anger began to rise from where it had lain so dormant), why should she wait for the ungrateful Sesshomaru? She gave him her life, and what'd she get? Thrown out of his life by the ear! If he wanted her back, he'd be in for a big surprise. She'd refuse. Hmmph.

She smiled, and made it her first real smile in a long time…since the night Sesshomaru had abandoned her. She pressed her shaking palms together and bowed from her kneeling position toward Taromaru. "I thank you for your kindness, Lord Taromaru-sama. I will be forever in your debt."

Inside his chest, Taromaru's heart soared.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The next day, Rin was drinking her morning tea when a whole bustle of women entered her room without as much as a knock. Rin leapt to her feet almost spilling her tea. Gods, but she was only in her nightgown! She'd never worn a nightgown to bed before, having spent all her time traveling with Sesshomaru, but Songo had left her one, and the material was thin and did not cover much. For these women to enter without announcing their presence - !

It was a few seconds before Rin realized that none of them were looking at her anyway. Hastily, she set down her teacup and snatched up her robe, quickly knotting it about her waist. "Um…hello?" she said to a woman, but she ignored her and continued to strip the sheets of Rin's bed.

"What are you doing…?"

"Forgive me child, I thought these churlish wenches would be politer than this!"

A fearsome woman stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, silhouetted by the rising sun. The women in the room quickly stopped whatever they were doing and bowed deeply before the woman, muttering "forgiveness, Akako-san." The woman waved her hand impatiently, and the women went back to their task, which looked like was clearing out the room. Akako advanced upon Rin. She wore a black kimono with a white blossom embroidered on the left shoulder. Her steel-gray hair was bound in a tight bun at the crown of her head, and though her face and hands were lined with age, her almond eyes were bright and she carried herself with a commanding grace.

She bowed deeply before Rin and formally introduced herself. Rin was aghast. This woman showed her respect due to a princess!

"…As I said, please forgive these women, Lady Rin. They are only stupid servant girls." She glared at the women, and even though none of them were actually looking at Akako, they all seemed to move faster.

"Now, come with me my Lady, I will show you to your new rooms…"

"My new rooms?" Rin asked, confused. What was wrong with these?

Akako stopped in the middle of the hallway outside of Rin's door, where she had marched without a glance behind, expecting Rin to follow. "You mean that dunce Taromaru-chan didn't tell you what is to happen today?" Rin shook her head mutely. Behind her, the maids were streaming out of her room, leaving it bare of all its luxuries. Akako let out a small, exasperated sound, and set off again down the hallway. "I'll explain to you as we walk…foolish boy…still thinks all muddled…" Rin hurried to keep up with Akako. She wasn't sure whether to be afraid or excited.

"Lord Taromaru has told me, the head housekeeper, to move you to the apartments where the courtiers live. Since you've been here, you've only been in the best guesthouse. Now, you will live with the other ladies of his court. You are also to be outfitted as such. Your tailor will arrive within the hour, and the hairdresser as soon as you have clothed yourself for the day. You will dine with the rest of the court tonight, and begin to partake in the activities of the community. There is a sightseeing expedition tomorrow, to Taromaru-chan's house on the edge of the Great Lake. The men will be hunting most of the time, so you'll have ample time to make friends…" Akako's one-sided conversation quickly moved into the varied personalities of the court. Rin's mind was whirling with this maelstrom of new information. She hadn't known any of this would happen when she accepted Taromaru's offer last night!

"Ah, here we are."

Akako stopped before a pair of sliding doors, paneled with swallows in flight. She pushed the doors apart, and Rin gasped at the sight. If she had thought the guest rooms were rich…

The room was easily twice as large as the guest room. Its floor was completely covered with a thick carpet, and a low table enameled in red and gold sat happily in the center of the room surrounded by fat cushions. A large window – _four_ times as large as the guest-room one, and also in glass! – covered an entire section of the wall, and brocaded curtains were drawn to the sides with a silken cord. The walls were intricately carved with flowers, and the tapestries here were more colorful and beautiful. Another sliding door in the corner of the room opened to a separate bedroom, with a small writing-desk, a large bed, and a screen setting a bathtub apart from the room. Rin's mouth was open, but she couldn't muster the strength to close it.

"Surely you've seen such splendor before?"

Rin whirled around, shocked back to reality by Akako's voice. "What?"

"Lord Taromaru said that you are a gentlewoman. Surely such riches are not unexpected?" Akako's head was cocked to one side, and her eyes studied Rin. Rin gulped, and hastily wiped the expression of awe off her face. "Of course…Lord Taromaru-sama just has much better taste in decorating than my father or husband."

"Hmmph. Credit me, not Taromaru-chan for that! Come, now that you've seen your room it's time to meet the dresser."

Rin wiped beads of sweat off her forehead as the woman turned to lead her out. She hadn't expected to encounter any unfavorable repercussions from her fictional past, but at least she knew to be wary now. She hadn't intended to lie to the lord Taromaru…but she couldn't tell him the truth, either.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she hardly noticed that she had followed Akako into a medium-sized room filled with bolsters of silk and racks covered with jewel-bright threads. A willowy woman in the same black uniform as Akako was waiting for her, and bowed as she entered. "I am Izanami. So this is the new courtier, is it?" she murmured softly, giving Rin a small smile.

"Yes. Her name is Rin. She needs a complete new set of clothes, and they must be done by tomorrow morning when Taromaru-chan sets out for the hunting trip. That boy never thinks things through."

The seamstress laughed a small laugh that reminded Rin of small silver bells. "You are always so quick to criticize our young prince, Akako-chan."

"And you are always quick to praise, Izanami-chan. He is a princeling no more, but a King. He must not spend his days dreaming but running his lands as his father did." Izanami laughed again; though their words were biting, the two women seemed old friends. "Out with you, Akako-baba! Go drink some tea for you old bones, lest you fall and break your neck!"

Akako left with furious mutterings, but a smile lurked at the corners of her mouth as she closed he door behind her. Izanami continued to chuckle a little longer as she set out her measuring tapes and threads.

"If Lord Taromaru wants this done by tomorrow morning, then we must hurry. I have some fabrics and patterns picked out already, but I need your measurements. I'll sew you one kimono right here, to wear today, and one more for the evening, and the rest I shall give to my apprentices to sew for tomorrow." The woman motioned for Rin to hold her arms away from her sides, and Rin did so mutely. The morning had gone so quickly from a small cup of tea to a frenzy of activity that she was quite stunned now that things had slown down again.

"Akako tells me that Taromaru-chan rescued you from a demon?" Izanami asked, evidently making a polite attempt at conversation. "How dashing he must have looked. I remember how the young ladies of the court bat their eyelashes, and none of them have ever had the pleasure of him coming to their rescue, though I'm sure more than one have plotted as to how to make that happen." She laughed again and Rin giggled with her. Taromaru was anything but dashing in her eyes, the first time she saw him. Sorrow rose within her – _Lord Sesshomaru_ – but she pushed it away. Izanami continued talking and measuring. "I and my sister, Akako, took care of Taromaru-chan after his mother died. His father was constantly at war, building this empire of his, and had little time to properly raise his son. We're quite proud at how he's turned out, despite Akako's complaints as to otherwise." She couldn't smile for the pins in her mouth, but Rin could see the smile in her eyes.

"Could you…could you tell me more about Lord Taromaru? I'm afraid we haven't spoken much, and I'd like to know a little more about my rescuer."

_Especially if I am to live here until the end of my days._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sorry it took so long to update! I got out of school…then I got sick…then my family went on vacation…then I remembered I had another active story! So here it is…and hopefully more than ONE person will update…THANK YOU JENN2418:D


	3. Chapter 3

Rin had named the small kitten that Taromaru had given her Miki, or Flower Stalk, and the small thing was plump from eating leftover bits of pork from the kitchens. Tricolor kittens were supposed to be lucky, according to Akako, _but that might just be servants' tales._

Rin sat up in bed, startled at her own thoughts. _'Servants' tales?' When did I become so snobbish? I'm not noble…I wasn't even a servant. I was an orphaned guttersnipe living off the village charity, stealing food from their fishing reserve. Then, with Lord Sesshomaru…_Rin threw off her covers and swiftly pulled on her nightrobe. She suddenly felt a need to be outdoors, someplace other than this gorgeous palace. She refused to think of Sesshomaru, but she remembered sleeping under the stars with only sweet grass as her pillow, and listening to the wind talk to the trees…

The door slid open quietly and Rin padded down the stairs to the Inner Courtyard barefoot. She could hear faint, rather unladylike snores as she passed other bedrooms, but finally made her way down to the Courtyard and to the gate that led to the outside. It was made of old and beaten wood, and was hidden in the corner; it was almost exclusively used by gardeners and groundskeepers, and occasionally secret lovers…Rin hoped she wouldn't stumble upon any of those tonight. _It's probably too cold for them anyways,_ she thought haughtily, thinking of the dainty powdered ladies and silk-bedecked gentlemen. The gate opened just as quietly as the door to her bedroom, and Rin beheld the land surrounding Taromaru's castle.

As it was set upon a hill, the ground sloped down gently into a smallish valley, with forest fringing it to the east. The snow had melted long since but spring had not quite taken hold yet; the ground was bare, but no foliage was visible. It was the moon that held Rin's gaze; it hovered in the sky as a gigantic silver orb, providing almost as much light as the sun. The bare ground was made beautiful by its silvery wash, and the stars twinkled around the moon like sprinkles of water on black silk. Rin slowly sank down to sit on the ground with her back against the white stone wall of the castle. She studied the moon carefully, remembering each and every gray spot on its pearly surface. White, like Sesshomaru's hair…

Rin nearly jumped out of her skin as she heard the door open to her left. She scrambled to her feet as a dark shadow emerged from the Inner Court, wrapped in a thick cloak as well as his nightrobe.

"Here. I heard you come out, so I brought you this."

Rin blinked. It was Taromaru. He held out his hands, and she saw that he had brought her a cloak as well. "Thank you, my Lord," she said, bowing her head in thanks and accepting the robe. She drew it around her shoulders and realized that it was slightly warm, since Taromaru had been carrying it against his chest.

"Rin…please call me Taromaru. Not Lord Taromaru."

Little warning bells of some inherited female wisdom rang in Rin's head, but she bowed her head in acquiescence. "Yes…Taromaru."

"I didn't mean to disturb you. You can sit down, if you want…"

Silently, Rin sank back down to her former position, her eyes back on the moon. Taromaru sat down beside her, and Rin was slightly startled to realize that he was sitting so close that the fabrics of their robes touched, and she could feel warmth from his body through the still night air. She snuck a sideways glance at him. He was looking at the moon, too, and the light silvered his features. His dark hair was tied back in a rather messy tail at the base of his neck, and he looked far more relaxed then Rin had ever seen him before.

"You're so different from the others, Rin."

Rin remained silent. His words were unexpected and unexplained.

"Not in a bad way, of course. A good way."

"Why does my Lord…why are you telling me this, Taromaru?"

Taromaru sighed and stared at his hands.

"The other ladies of the court…they're all the same. They're all pretty painted dolls that are paraded before him, with all their families hoping that I'll choose their daughter or niece as my wife. Some of them are nice enough; they're polite and well bred, but none of them are very unique. With you…you're like a breath of fresh air. It's almost like you're not a pampered noblewoman at all."

Rin couldn't stop the blush from creeping over her cheeks. Taromaru raised his eyebrows, a knowing smile creeping over his lips. "You aren't noble, are you Rin?"

Perhaps it was something in the moonlight that made Rin's fears about her lie being revealed disappear. Or maybe it was simply Taromaru's unaccusing attitude, or the way he seemed to have moved closer to her without her knowing, that made the truth spill from her lips.

"No…did I mess up that badly?"

Taromaru laughed, but quietly. "No, not really, just…sometimes, you acted a little oddly. Did you know that you're never supposed to spear your chopsticks into your food and let them rest there?"

Rin blinked, surprised. There was a rule about that?

Taromaru chuckled again. "When a person's body is cremated, ceremonial chopsticks are stuck into the bowl of ashes in that manner. It brings death to mind, and if there is one thing that most nobility hate it's a reminder of their mortality."

No wonder Rin had never known. Sesshomaru would never hold with such superstitious human customs. _He probably wouldn't even know about something like that._

Rin found herself laughing, both at her blunder and the merriment on Taromaru's face. Suddenly, the wind picked up, and even in her thick cloak Rin shivered with the cold. "Here," Taromaru said, swooping one side of his cloak around her shoulders so that it wrapped around the two of them. It happened so quickly Rin hardly registered it as it was happening, but she found herself leaning against Taromaru, with his left arm wrapped around her shoulders and his cloak covering her body. Because of the angle of her body, it was most comfortable for Rin to rest her head against Taromaru's shoulder. She could hear the steady sound of his heartbeat as it pumped blood through his veins. Rin had never, ever, been this close to a man before. Being held this close, this…lovingly…made Rin happy. She felt…loved. The word was strange in her mind. She knew what it meant (even if she was sketchy on the details of what lovers actually did that Kagome and Sango were so interested in keeping from her), and she knew that she loved…_no, _she said firmly, had _loved_…Sesshomaru but, obviously, nothing had ever come of it. To have love shown in this manner was new, but pleasing. There was no doubt in Rin's mind that Taromaru loved her now.

_But do I love him?__Of course I do. I am happy whenever he is with me, and sad when he is not. _Perhaps this is just because my only other company would be the silly court ladies. _No, that's not true, at least not absolutely true. Taromaru makes me feel safe. He's made me feel completely at home, as if I had been here since I was a child. I love him for that…_

From the shelter of still-open door, Hatsumomo watched the moonlight-lit couple with narrowed eyes.

_It's time some things changed around here._

* * *

  
Jaken sat wearily next to a pit of dancing orange flames, grateful for their warmth; at least the Staff of Two heads could light a fire without a problem. Food, on the other hand…he couldn't eat grass like Ah-Un, and without Rin to search for food Jaken was had almost no idea what was edible and what was not. Lost in his thoughts, Jaken absentmindedly reached for a root that he had dug up and bit into it. He spat it out with a squawk. The root was warm from sitting near the fire, but nowhere near cooked. Jaken gazed mournfully at a row of blackened vegetables that had been set too close to the fire and were charred beyond eating. He wished Rin were still here. She could cook. He had tried to make Ah-Un turn back, but the silly beast had been so frightened by the band of warriors that she had gotten the two of them thoroughly lost. A tear slipped down Jaken's cheek. What had he done to deserve Sesshomaru's wrath and this horrible curse of living (practically) on his own?

Jaken gasped as a dark shadow suddenly loomed on the edge of the firelight. He scrambled backwards as the mysterious being advanced, kicking and shrieking, and finally curling up in to a tight whimpering ball.

"Don't hurt me; I've never done any harm to anyone…owaaoo!!"

No blow fell. Jaken cautiously opened one yellow eye.

"LORD SESSHOMARU!" he exclaimed, spring to his feet. "Master! You've come back!! I have missed you, missed you…!" Jaken clutched Sesshomaru's shins and began to sob piteously. Sesshomaru frowned, surveying the green demon's campsite.

"Where is Rin?" he asked curtly, shaking Jaken off his feet. Jaken's face changed to an expression of sadness. "Rin was captured by a band of fearsome warriors, my Lord…"

"_What?_"

Sesshomaru's voice was barely above a whisper, yet the one syllable held unbridled fury and disbelief. "You allowed Rin to be captured by humans?"

"Master!" Jaken gulped, falling on the ground and protectively covering his head with his hands, "they surprised us! They attacked us! And there were far too many to fight! They grabbed Rin and rode away on their fearsome horses! There was nothing we could do! Please don't hurt me, master, not after you've just found me again!" Jaken trailed off into anguished tears again, but Sesshomaru ignored him. "Where was she taken? How long ago?"

"We have no idea, we are lost, but it was the day after you left. Don't hurt me!"

_If it was the day after I left her, I could probably find the place where she was kidnapped and move on from there. Perhaps her scent would linger still. _Sesshomaru began to walk away, in the direction of the small copse of trees where he had left Jaken, Rin, and Ah-Un weeks before.

"Wait, master!" Jaken wailed, "are you going to leave me again!?"

Sesshomaru continued walking and didn't look back, but his voice carried. "You may follow me, Jaken." Jaken squealed with joy and quickly leapt upon Ah-Un's back, and trotted off to follow Sesshomaru. _At last,_ the little lizard-demon sighed, _things are returning to normal!_

Sesshomaru stepped through the darkened forest, his eyes gleaming slightly golden in the reflected light of the winter moon. When Jaken had said that Rin was missing he had barely been able to control his anger, but there had been another feeling too. Fear. An emotion that he had never allowed himself to feel. A frown crossed his features as he struggled to contend with the lingering emotions in his head.

_I only miss her as I would miss Tenseiga, if it were ever taken from me. I have grown accustomed to her presence, that is all. _But something inside him knew that statement was false. _Can I not control my own emotions!?_

The one thing Sesshomaru had always worked for and thirsted for was power. Yet, in a matter of weeks, he had fallen under the control of a whole array of emotions that he could not even name, let alone deal with. It made him feel weak. And, in a purely practical sense, it placed him in great danger. If word got around that the Tenseiga no longer protected him as it once had, other power-hungry demons would jump for the opportunity to battle with him, and Sesshomaru could no longer be certain if the Tenseiga could be reliably counted upon. It was very distressing.

Sesshomaru's thoughts turned to what Rin could possibly be going through. From Jaken's description, it sounded as though she had been captured by a powerful warlord (if Jaken hadn't been overly exaggerating). Yes, Sesshomaru had a reputation as a cruel and evil demon, and perhaps he killed a bit excessively – but he did not torture. Humans tortured. Humans could break spirit and kill souls in many inventive ways. Also, Rin was pretty (_I'm not blind, and there's no harm in admitting that she has a favorable countenance)_ and Sesshomaru knew what it was a man wanted from a woman. The thought of Rin being hurt by another man –

Sesshomaru didn't notice, but his eyes began to glow a fierce, dark red.

* * *

Taromaru yawned as he sat in his tea-room. He and Rin had stayed outside all night. Finally, as the early morning light was beginning to dawn, he'd carried the sleeping girl back to her rooms.

Ryoichi padded into Taromaru's room and bowed deeply. "My Lord, the Lord Nagurachi is here to see you. He says it is urgent, sir."

_Ah. Lord Nagurachi's proposal of marriage for his daughter. How could I have forgotten? _

"Let him in, Ryoichi."

Ando Nagurachi bowed as he entered the room, to the exact minimum millimeter of politeness. His hair was well oiled and short, and his robes so richly embroidered they looked like they were a cumbrance to walk in. A man could easily take Nagurachi for a vain, not-to-intelligent man, but anyone who looked into his eyes twice saw differently. They were dark and beady, and seemed to take in everything around him in a single glance. His eyes hinted at secrets better kept sheathed in silence.

At Taromaru's invitation, Nagurachi knelt across the table from Taromaru, and accepted a fragrant cup of tea. Taromaru watched him warily. The air in the room felt like the air during a fierce summer storm – as though it were waiting for a bolt of lighting to fall from the sky.

"To what, my Lord Nagurachi, do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Nagurachi grinned, showing two rows of small, even teeth. "My Lord is wise to cut straight to the heart of the matter. I am certain that my Lord remembers that exactly three weeks ago I presented to him a proposal of marriage on behalf of my eldest daughter, the Lady Hatsumomo Nagurachi?" Taromaru nodded. "My Lord should not be altogether surprised, then," Nagurachi continued, "to find his humble servant here to ask for his answer?"

Taromaru's brow furrowed as he thought of how to answer this little man. He had known what his answer would be the moment he received the proposition, but he hadn't quite been able to figure out the best way to say it. The Nagurachi's were the most powerful of Taromaru's allies, and he could not afford to insult them. However, he wasn't expected to bow to their demands, either.

"Lord Nagurachi, I regretfully must inform you that I am not prepared to wed your daughter. I find no fault in the girl or the terms of the marriage, but I do not wish to marry at this time."

To Taromaru's surprise, Ando Nagurachi smiled again. A shiver ran up Taromaru's spine.

"Hatsumomo will be saddened by your answer, my Lord, as am I," Nagurachi said. "Perhaps I can persuade my Lord Taromaru to change his mind…do you know the history of my family, my Lord?"

"No."

"Ah. Well. My family line goes back many, many generations. However, we did not always live here, in Japan. We originate from the mainland; from China."

The room was completely silent, except for the dim sound of conversation and music from the courtyard below.

"My family still has…connections…to the Continent. We have some very old family friends. The Nagurachis are very close to them, but it would still be a terrifying experience if they ever decided to cross the Great Water. They would not harm any of my family, thanks to our ties of friendship, but I can't imagine what destruction that they would wreak upon your peaceful empire."

The lightning bolt had fallen. Taromaru's eyes had narrowed to angry slits and his knuckles were white around his teacup, but Nagurachi's mouth had widened to an ever wider smile. Tight anger was evident in Taromaru's voice when he spoke.

"Is House Nagurachi so desperate to have access to my empire? Certainly, they are not wanting for anything."

"Very true, my Lord," Nagurachi said, bobbing his head, "but who does not wish to expand their power, when they can?" His cursed grin had still not left his round face. Taromaru stood, and Nagurachi did the same.

"As the terms of your proposal of marriage have been altered, I would spend some more time contemplating its various…effects."

Nagurachi bowed. "Your request is granted, my Lord," he said. Taromaru bristled at the implication that he was asking for permission, but said nothing. Nagurachi turned and left, and the door slid shut behind him. Taromaru slumped back down to where he had been sitting, his anger running hot through his veins. So the Nagurachis shout to control him, did they? _I will not be anyone's puppet!_ He clapped his hands loudly and Ryoichi entered the room, bowed, and waited for Taromaru to speak.

"I expect you heard all that, Ryoichi?"

Ryoichi bowed. "My Lord can see the truth."

"Go and speak to the servants of the other Houses. Nagurachi would not use this threat unless he was ready and willing to back it up. Some houses may be in his pocket, and some may have noticed if he's masses his men or foreign troops for an attack. Go, and find out all you can."

"Yes, my Lord," Ryoichi said fiercely, placing a fist over his heart.

* * *

here's the third chapter! they seem so much longer in word documents :P. oh well.

**natashasurgirl**: thanks for reading:D and thanks for the correction too...I was confused because the dvds I had wrote it "songo" but wikipedia wrote it "sango" and I'd seen both spellings on fansites :P, although sango was the predominant spelling. I just took a 50/50 guess :).

**JENN2418**:D gives gift of chocolate

** Panny.Chan101**: thanks:D hope you liked this one too:D


	4. Chapter 4

Rin laughed and danced through an iridescent cloud of butterflies, surrounded by the youngest girls of the court, those of only ten or thirteen years of age. They were friendlier and more open than the ladies of Rin's age, who were already scheming and plotting for their futures – these girls hadn't really fallen into the dullness and falseness of their older sisters just yet.

"Look! The Lord Taromaru!"

The little girls giggled and ran over to Taromaru, flirting shamelessly. Rin rolled her eyes. Perhaps they _were_ only little versions of their sisters. As Rin followed them, she noticed that Taromaru was acting very oddly. His smile was strained and his eyes held a smoldering anger that frightened Rin a little. The young girls hadn't noticed, but Rin knew that Taromaru would snap if he had to put up with much more of their silliness.

"Girls, girls!" she scolded lightly, "can't you see that the Lord Taromaru has somewhere important to be?" The girls giggled and moved away, their interest already captured by some other attraction. Rin and Taromaru stood awkwardly in the middle of the garden path for a moment. They were looking at each other, but Rin could tell that Taromaru was not really seeing her. His eyes burned like coals concealing flickers of light, threatening to break into flame at any instant. "Are you all right, Taromaru?" Rin asked quietly. Taromaru's eyes suddenly softened as she spoke, and fixed on her face. "No. Not really. I have recently heard some news that distresses me. Please, excuse me Rin…I need to be alone." Rin nodded mutely and walked away to follow the other girls, but she glanced back at Taromaru as she stepped down the path. She thought she could almost see a black cloud of ill humor hovering over his head like a cloud of smoke.

"Oh, _excuse_ me!"

Rin stumbled to a halt as a lady suddenly appeared on the path before her. She could have sworn that an evil grin had spread over the woman's features when she saw who it was that she had run into, but it was gone so quickly that Rin couldn't be sure.

"Ah, you are the Lady Rin, are you not? I am the Lady Hatsumomo Nagurachi," the woman said, her voice full of ill-disguised pride and loftiness. She bowed gracefully and Rin did the same, although perhaps with less grace. "Have you seen the Lord Taromaru?" Hatsumomo asked, "I must speak with him."

"I have just left him, but he doesn't seem in the mood to speak to anybody, my Lady," Rin said stiffly. Something about this woman reminded Rin of a snake in the grass, and she didn't like it.

The woman laughed; a breathy, delicate sound. _I'll put this wench in her place._ "Well, surely he could find time to suffer speaking to his betrothed!"

_Betrothed?_

"Oh," the woman said, to all evidence surprised at Rin's look of incomprehension, "did you not know? The Lord Taromaru and I are to be wed." She smiled sweetly. "I thought that, since you are so close to Taromaru-chan, you would know already. Well, perhaps not. These matters of love can be…tricky…sometimes. Now, please excuse me, I must find Taromaru…" Hatsumomo glided down the path past Rin, turned a corner, and then concealed herself behind a decorative rock. She laughed silently as she watched Rin sink to her knees as though her legs would no longer support her body.

_I hope that hurt, wench. But don't worry…you won't have to worry about Taromaru for very much longer. _

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Taromaru went straight to the small grotto that he had always hidden in as a child. From the outside it looked like a solid bush (and even though its leaves were small and new in the young spring, the branches were thick and as closely intertwined as the threads of a rug), cleverly designed by some long-dead gardener to conceal what lay beyond it. Taromaru squeezed his way though a small opening – he'd grown a lot bigger in the past seven years – and emerged in a small circle of red maple trees. He had always imagined them as graceful wood-spirits, protecting and soothing him whenever he sought their protection against difficult tutors and unkind children. Small buds of growth were already showing on their thin branches, and the ground was covered by a soft fuzz of grass. He sat down slowly and closed his eyes. All sound had been silenced, except for the small twittering of birds, the only other inhabitants of his secret place.

With no one around to watch him, Taromaru let his shoulders slump and wearily put his head in his hands. He tried to order his thoughts.

_I love Rin. I want her to be my wife._

_If I marry Rin and not Hatsumomo, Ando Nagurachi will tear my lands apart in warfare. _

_If I marry Hatsumomo and not Rin, not only will _I_ be miserable, but my lands and people will undoubtedly suffer under the Nagurachis' control._

_If I marry neither, the Nagurachis will still blackmail me and I'll still be miserable. _

Taromaru ran though dozens of different scenarios in his mind, even considering assassinating Ando Nagurachi or eloping with Rin and naming one of his wiser cousins as successor.

_The one thing I cannot allow is the Nagurachis to gain control. Even if I lose Rin, I cannot let my people suffer. I owe them a greater debt than I owe myself. How, then, can I overcome this nightmare? There is no way to avoid it._

_Unless…_

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_Later that same day…_

Taromaru's tea room was brightly lit, as night had fallen. The heads of all the major Houses were gathered, sipping bowls of sake. Taromaru entered, and all the men rose to bow respectfully. Then they all sat. Nagurachi suppress his smile, but he knew what this meeting must be about; Taromaru had done what was wise, and had accepted Nagurachi's proposal.

The men had seated themselves comfortably, talking in group of three or five. Nagurachi and Taromaru were the only ones who did not join in any conversations. Their eyes met across the low table, and they held each other's gaze for a few seconds. Nagurachi smiled. Taromaru's face remained expressionless.

Taromaru abruptly clapped his hands, breaking his gaze with Nagurachi. The room immediately fell silent except for the soft whisper of robes as their wearers arranged them more comfortably.

"M Lords and friends, I have asked you to come here because I have some very important news to share."

Nagurachi felt a detached serenity, as a leaf floating on the wind. At last, his dreams of power were falling within easy grasp.

"There is a hostile military force from the mainland massing along the western border."

The leaf was ripped to fluttering green threads by the claws of a raging tiger. It was only with great difficulty that Nagurachi managed to keep his expression the same as before. Around him, murmurs rose and fell like an ocean wave, and fell silent.

"I was fortunate enough to learn of this before they attacked; for I am certain that is their intention. I do not know their exact location, or the date which they plan to make their assault, but it will be soon; we must prepare. Notify your kinsmen and vassals, and muster your soldiers. I know I need not remind you of the destruction of the Mongol hordes. We must protect our families and our livelihoods. Tomorrow, I will move the women and children to the Lake House, which is more easily defended than this castle. We, the men, will camp outside and around it until all the men from the land have been mustered. Once that has happened, we will advance to meet the foreign army."

The murmurs and whispers rose again in earnest, more like the hissing of a fire than the rush of the ocean, and Taromaru had to clap his hands together again for silence in order to continue.

"I have one more piece of news, and this one in my mind is far more distressing than the last. We have a spy among us."

Nagurachi stiffened. Fear stifled his thoughts.

"I know who he is and exactly what he has done. I invite him to leave us now, and keep his freedom. If he remains, he will be dealt with as any common criminal."

The murmurs did not begin again. Instead, each man eyes his neighbor warily. Taromaru's gaze never wavered, but bored into Nagurachi's head and mind. His legs shaking, Nagurachi got to his feet. He couldn't take his eyes off Taromaru. A tiger lurked behind his smoldering eyes, claws and fangs bared as it prepared to turn on its former hunter. Nagurachi hadn't thought he'd be dealing with this animal at all. He had thought that Taromaru would be so afraid of causing any harm to his people…Nagurachi wasn't prepared to face this tiger.

He turned and stumbled toward the door, but one final comment sprang to his lips.

"Realize that this changes nothing, Taromaru. You and your people will be crushed like bones in the teeth of a dog."

"Goodbye, Ando Nagurachi."

"We will –"

"Goodbye. Do not test my mercy."

Nagurachi left, fuming and slamming the delicate screen door behind him. Taromaru turned his gaze to the remaining men in the room, and more than one man quailed at the unveiled anger in Taromaru's dark eyes.

"Do any of you wish to throw your lot in with the Nagurachis?"

Silence. Rain dripped from the tiled roof and plunked hollowly on the wooden balcony.

"Good. Now, for the real plans. The word has already been spread that the foreign army is advancing, and our own army is most likely already waiting for us at the meadow outside the Lake House. We will still leave the women and children there, with an armed contingent, but we will advance immediately; with Nagurachi's falsified information, the foreign army will expect at least two weeks. We will strike within the next three days. Now go and warn your families, and pack light – we leave at midnight."

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Rin was ready a full two hours before the other women. They were frantically trying to line their robes with small valuables and slip their larger ones onto packhorses. Rin, however, only had her cat in a bamboo cage on her back, a packet of robes, and a small silk bag around her neck with the other two gifts Taromaru had given her; an ivory comb engraved with flowers and a small jade pendant of a dove on a silver chain. She could hear people pounding on the balcony outside her rooms. Her hand shook a little as she sipped her last cup of tea, a special "journey brew" that Akako claimed would boost her endurance on the road. The day had seen a flurry of unanswered questions, like a swarm of frantic swallows trying to escape a lashing snake. Rin had heard from the Lady Hatsumomo that Taromaru was betrothed – yet, he had certainly not acted as such towards Rin. Then, this frenzied midnight departure – to where? For what reason? None of the women seemed to know…

Rin jumped and dropped her teacup with a tinkling of shattered porcelain. She stood, and before she could do anything else she found herself wrapped in Taromaru's arms; his heart thundered next to her ear.

"What's happening?" she whispered to him.

"War. The House Nagurachi wishes to contend for my empire. They have brought in a foreign, mercenary army to do the job."

A small memory blossomed in Rin's mind, a blossom tainted with dislike and confusion. "Nagurachi? As in the Lady Hatsumomo Nagurachi?" Taromaru nodded yes, still holding her close. His hand was buried in her hair, and she could feel his fingers trembling. _So she was lying to me._ Rin couldn't stop relief from flooding her body. Suddenly, Rin realized that Taromaru was seeking comfort in their embrace, but not for her…for himself. Rin was surprised. Taromaru always seemed so calm and clear-thinking. Witnessing him trembling and seeking comfort indicated how badly he was feeling.

"Are you frightened, Taromaru?"

Taromaru let go of her and took a step back, with his hands resting on her shoulders. "Yes," he said softly. "These lands have not seen battle or bloodshed since my grandfather's time, when he united these lands under one rule. I am not eager to return them to that state of darkness, but it seems like that is where I am going no matter what I do." He tilted his head a little to the side, staring at her with a new look in his eyes. "You are not afraid," he said.

Rin smiled gently. Why should she be afraid of an army of humans when she had been witness to the destructive powers of countless evil – even good – demons? Yes, she was afraid of what the future was turning into, but it did not affect her as much. The future was not yet certain. "I believe my lack of fear comes mainly from ignorance, Taromaru. I have never really witnessed much human warfare."

He laughed, and Rin laughed with him, just for the sake of laughing on such a dark night. Everyone else was so worried and serious that the laughter healed their worries like the sun after a stormy day. Then an earnest look came into Taromaru's eyes, and he looked at her very seriously.

"Rin, I…I know you've been though a lot lately, and I've done my best to make you happy, and I didn't – I guess I still don't – want to rush things. But whether or not this war turns out to be one battle or many, I may not come back, and I want to come back…I want to come back to the woman I love."

Rin didn't reply. She couldn't breathe.

"I didn't want to rush you, but…Rin, would you marry me?"

Rin opened her mouth to reply, but her vocal cords refused to emit any sound. A flush crept over her cheeks. Finally, she found her voice.

"But…you deserve to marry a princess. I am…I am nobody…"

Taromaru laughed again. "Nonsense. I'll marry whomever I like." Then his eyes widened. "Unless…I mean, if you don't want to, of course…not…"

Rin squeezed Taromaru's hand in hers. "It's just…I'm so confused from these past few days, and tonight – my mind is a whirlwind, and I feel like I am walking in a dream. I do not know where my path lies. I…I…"

Taromaru nodded slowly. "Do you love me, Rin?"

Like a flash of silver lightning, an image of Sesshomaru whipped into Rin's mind's eye. Sesshomaru striding boldly out in front of Ah-Un, occasionally chopping the path clear of branches and bracken with a single swipe of Tokijin. This memory was painted with a soft brush of love and admiration…then another, more recent, image of him was swept before Rin. This one was scraped into her mind with dark burned charcoal, the very memory a memory of pain. _You should leave, Rin._

Rin's mouth set in a determined shape. How dare he throw her aside. Why should she keep herself from Taromaru, for Sesshomaru? He never cared for her like this. He never loved her. In an instant, she made up her mind.

"I do love you, Taromaru. I will marry you."

Taromaru immediately pulled her into a fierce hug, holding her close against his heart. Tears swelled in the corners of Rin's eyes as Sesshomaru's visage lingered in her mind, until she fiercely banished it. Taromaru saw the tears. _She is so worried for me. I will return, Rin – I will return for you. You alone hold my heart._

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Yay! Finally updating! Sorry it took so long. I sat down a week ago to update, but realized that I hadn't transferred this bit from my notebook yet! Lol, that is so typical of me. :D did anyone notice my tribute to Wash from "Serenity?" if so, kudos to you:D and if anyone else has noticed the many typos (other than the Songo/Sango one, which I will fix soon!) I'm getting to those too. I double-checked this chappie…hopefully nothing to disrupt your reading in here. :)

**Chips Dip**: aww. I feel so loved. :D here's the new chapter! Sesshomaru's coming soon, and he's going to have to do some difficult things to get Rin back. A guy can't just throw a girl away and expect her to come rushing back again! Lol. He's going to pay. Insert evil smile here :D.

**haley:)**: here it is:)

**Kichou**: available upon command…:)

**natashasurgirl**: ah, I love it when authors incorporate political stuff!! Not a ton of it (Robert Jordan's books are getting a bit too political, not enough story any more :P), but enough to make the book more than a simple action affair. As I said to Chips Dip, Sesshomaru is definitely not going to find it easy!! He's going to pay for what he did to Rin :D except now, with all this build-up, I'm really going to have to make it difficult for him…lol. I'm sure he can handle it. He's got enough ego to overcome anything :D. oo, I'll check out your story asap too…:D love, Morough :)

**Red Shagging Couch**: ty!! Hope you enjoy this chappie too:D

Oh, and does anyone know a good place to view Inuyasha episodes? Like deathnote.tv, where all the episodes are available…is there anything like that for Inuyasha? Google videos only has so much, and I hate viewing stuff out of order :P


	5. Chapter 5

The horse Rin was on plodded along with the others. The women, children, old, and infirm – those not in Taromaru's fighting force – were on their way to the Lake House. Apparently, it sat in the center of two valleys and was surrounded by tall hills almost the size of small mountains. There was only one path that led in or out, and it could easily be guarded. Taromaru's army was going to gather on the great plain outside of the lake's valley. Taromaru was at the head of the procession, several miles ahead with the main body of soldiers. Her mind was awhirl with the knowledge of the promise she had made. With her simple words, she had promised to bind her soul to this man for the rest of their lives. Had she done the right thing? Was she being hasty? She had only ever fallen in love once before…

As the procession of chattering ladies rounded a bend in the road, a huge shadow fell over the party, and disappeared just as suddenly. All movement ground to a halt, and few of the women screamed. Rin looked up above the canopy of the trees, and gasped at what she saw. A giant purple horse, with blue flames for its tail, mane, and wings, circled the air above the procession of women and children and hovered, then tucked its wings and dove down towards them. The normal horses on the ground screamed and tried to get away, some throwing their riders. The demon-horse landed with a ground-shattering thump, and flames rose where its hooves were planted in the ground, unholy flames that burnt even bare stone to black ash. After than, Rin lost track of what was happening – she was too busy trying to get her own horse under control. The dappled mare was plunging, trying to throw Rin off her back and get control of the reins. Finally, it slammed itself into a tree, crushing Rin's leg between its body and the brown bark. Rin shrieked, and fell off the horse as it scraped her off its back and dashed into the woods. Rin tried to follow it, but couldn't put any weight on her left leg. Unable to escape into the safety of the trees, Rin crawled around the tree her horse had deposited her beneath, so that she was somewhat shielded from the battle.

Three men had dismounted from purple horse's back, and they were battling the small contingent of warriors that had remained to escort the women and children to the Lake House. One was dressed in a black kimono edged in red razor-blossoms, and fought with two hooks glittering with evil red fire. His black hair was bound in a braid, and small hook-shaped marks were visible on his temples. Another with his brown hair in a braid was in a dark green kimono which was unadorned save for a single white dragon on his chest. Wherever he pointed his green-clawed fingers, small dragons barely the size of teacups spurted from his palm in an explosion of green scales; hundreds of them would swarm a man and kill him with their venom and sharp claws. The third man was dressed in a brown kimono, and round brown beads swung from the edges of his robes with small clicking sounds almost lost in the chaos of the battle. He was barefoot, and his toes had the same black claws as his fingers did. Instead of long hair like the other two, he had a black-and-gold mane sprouting from his forehead and running down to his shoulders. Long white fangs curled from his upper lips, and dripped with blood as he used them to tear out the throats of his enemies. Suddenly, he paused in mid-swing of his claws and sniffed the air. He tossed the struggling man he held in his talons aside, bashing his head casually against a tree. The demon's back was to Rin, but she saw from the way he held his body that he was concentrating hard on whatever scent he had picked up. So quickly that Rin could hardly register the movement he swung around, and his eyes met Rin's. They were tawny gold with oval pupils, like a cat's. Rin gasped and whipped her head back around her tree, terror reaching to the core of her bones. _Please, don't let him come over here…let him go back to his fight…_

A twig snapped in front of Rin. She opened her eyes, and her breath froze in her lungs. The golden demon was standing right in front of her, his paws crossed across his chest, grinning, dripping blood.

"So you _are_ here, after all."

Rin scrabbled at her belt for her small knife, but the beast was quicker. He grabbed her wrists with his giant paws and forced them behind her back. She screamed and tried to stab him with her blade, but only managed to gouge his arm, and he hardly felt it. She felt her wrists and ankles bound by rough leather thongs, and then he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder as though she were no more than a sack of grain. She kicked and screamed as loudly as she could – it was ridiculous to think that Taromaru would hear her one voice and not the combined sounds of the battle, especially given that he was so far away, but she couldn't do anything else – then one of the other two demons stuffed a cloth in her mouth, choking off her screams. She was thrown to the ground, driving the breath from her lungs anyways. Stars swam before her eyes, but she strove for consciousness, determined not to black out; the thought of being helpless at the hands of these demons sickened her. _Although I am as helpless as I could be already…_

The three of them were conversing quietly, and she was lying on the ground a little to the side of them. She could hear every word they said, but they didn't seem to care.

"She _is_ the girl she wanted, right?" asked the green demon.

"Yes. Mid-sized, pretty for a human, knows how to fight more than their women usually do. And besides, she still smells like the little prince." The other two demons laughed at the golden demon's description, but he studied her solemnly with his golden eyes. Rin shivered and looked away. They had kidnapped her because of Taromaru? Gods…they were going to kill her, then. Or hold her for ransom for Taromaru's compliance; they were probably foreign demons, judging by subtle differences in their garb from any demon she had seen. Actually, Sesshomaru had worn a foreign-fashioned kimono, but no other demons she had ever met had. A pair of tears leaked out of Rin's eyes. The sudden memory of Sesshomaru combined with the fear of being used to hurt Taromaru made her heart ache.

"There now, little human…don't cry…we won't hurt you just yet. Our master is going to decide what to do with you; we're only the lackeys. I can't deny that you look like you'd make a delicious meal, but that's neither here nor there. I've got my orders."

Rin gasped as she realized that the demons had ceased their conversation and surrounded her. The black one, the one who had spoken, licked his lips regretfully, then motioned for the golden demon, the largest of the three, to pick her up again. His claws dug into her shoulders and knees as he hoisted Rin to his chest and set her in a cage that was strapped to the leather saddle on the purple horse. Then he, along with the other two demons, got on the horse's back. The horse lurched to his feet and stamped his hooves a couple times, setting deadly sparks flying into the trees. Then he crouched, his powerful leg muscles bunching and rippling, and leaped into the sky. Rin felt as though her stomach had been left behind on the earth as they ascended to the clouds and rose above the smoke and stench of the battle. The wind whistled around the bamboo bars of her cage as the horse gained speed, his blue flames fanning out behind him like the tail of a shooting star. Rin fought to keep her eyes open, but the force of the wind grew too strong for her. The last thing she saw was the golden demon, who was still studying her with his grave, catlike eyes.

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Taromaru stood at the top of the small mountain that divided his army from the Nagurachis' army. His armor was black, dulled with soot, and reflected none of the light of the stars that shone above. The campfires of the foreign army in front of him spread out as though it were a fallen piece of the sky above; darkness dotted with innumerable specks of light. Taromaru sighed, a harsh, quick action. Every muscle in his body was tensed, ready and waiting for the battle that would surely occur the next day. They had caught the Nagurchis by surprise, he was sure – his own men had killed several scouts camped in the foothills, and had seen several more flee before them. They had not been expecting Taromaru to move so quickly. Despite that, they faced a great army, the largest one he had ever heard of in his life. His own army was about three-quarters of its size, and Taromaru did not hope for many more men to join them, since most of the men who had answered the muster had joined them during this day's march.

_At least we have the high ground. They will have to climb this hill if they want to destroy me, or enter the heart of my lands. From here, we can rain death and fire upon them from above. Even their war machines will be hard taxed to launch their missiles accurately at this distance and grade. If I think this through carefully, we might be able to win this battle. Hopefully, it will be the last battle of this war as well as the first. If fickle fortune favors us. _

A man came up behind Taromaru, panting. "Get _down_," Taromaru hissed, forcing the man to the ground – his armor was not dulled with soot or dirt, and his metal helmet could give away Taromaru's position to the enemy. One well-placed arrow would end this war before it even began.

"I'm sorry, my Lord," the man gasped, trying to keep his voice quiet and control his breath. "This news could not wait for you to return to camp."

"News? What news? Have more enemy ships landed?"

"No, my Lord…the women were attacked before they even reached the Lake House."

"What?" Taromaru's voice came out of his throat as a dry whisper. It sounded strange in his ears, as though it belonged to another man. "Attacked? How?" _I made certain that there were no enemy forces in that forest! And none have passed us today!_

"Demons, my Lord. A few of the surviving warriors – those who could still talk – spoke of a giant flying beast that carried three demon warriors on its back. They slew all that they could find."

"Rin…the women? They even slew the women?"

"Only those who didn't get out of their way quick enough. My Lord…there's…there's something more that I must tell you. One man said…and he may have been delusional, he later died of a strange poison that had entered his veins, so he may not have spoken the truth, only what he thought was the truth –"

"Spit it out, man! What did he say?"

"He…he claimed that the demons took the Lady Rin. They did not kill her, but bound her and carried her away on their flying beast."

Taromaru could feel his heart thumping in his chest. All other sounds, sensations, ceased. Only the steady pounding of his lifeblood kept him anchored to the earth.

_They took Rin. They took Rin. Gods, they took Rin…_

Fury seethed in his bones like an oily black fire, crisping flesh and blood like a twig in a fire. Taromaru fought it, subdued it, forced it to calm. Now the cold fury settled into his bones, his soul, became a part of him. The fire was quenched, but its residual heat was contained by layers of ice, locked deep inside him.

"My…my Lord? Lord Taromaru? Do you have any orders?"

Taromaru got to his feet and stared down at the enemy below him. Some of the fires had died out as their caretakers slumbered, leaving glowing pockets resembling scattered pieces of coal among the stars. The messenger remained on the ground, not willing to risk Taromau's anger and reveal himself to the enemy. When Taromaru spoke, the man shivered at the barbs of ice in his voice.

"Send twenty men to see the survivors to the Lake House. The demons will not attack again, they got what they wanted. Then go to the captains and tell them that we will attack at dawn. Our enemies will burn with the heat of the sun."

The man scooted down the side of the hill until he could get to his feet. He looked back once at Taromaru before he was completely out of sight. The prince's shoulders were squared as though he were ready to start the fight already. Yet, they trembled. The messenger took it for the rage Taromaru must be feeling; but that was not the reason. Taromaru was holding back his sobs, and the howls of loss that he wished to scream at the heavens.

_They will pay, Rin. By the blood in my veins and the love in my heart, they will pay. Their blood will run over this earth like water. They will pay. _

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

Sesshomaru stood at the gates of the castle, studying it through the thick wooden bars. It appeared to be abandoned, but recently. The garden was still in pristine condition, but here and there lay evidence of a quick departure – a robe crumpled in front of a half-closed door, a pack lying forgotten in the center of the courtyard, a valuable bracelet half-concealed under a pile of unraked leaves…The tracks of the men who had kidnapped Rin had led him here. But they were not here. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed in frustration. With a flick of his wrist, his shining whip sliced the gate down the center, and the uneven pieces swung back on well-oiled hinges. Jaken was silent for perhaps the first time in his life, instinctively sensing that now was _definitely_ not a good time to get on Sesshomaru's nerves, which had been strained to a breaking point through their entire journey.

Uncomfortably aware that Jaken was watching him fearfully, Sesshomaru walked to the center of the courtyard and closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply, and began to sort the scents that he smelled. He discarded the scents of the flora and fauna, focusing on the distinctly human smells. He studied each scent in his mind, but there were over a hundred of them. He disregarded the male smells, which cut down his options by a little more than a half. Next he cut out the child-smells, and the elderly-woman scents, focusing on the scents of the young women. They all smelled of fragrant powders and perfumes, which confused Sesshomaru to no end – it was hard to distinguish individual scents. A small group of the women did not wear any perfumes, which Sesshomaru assumed were the maids. He ran through their scents rapidly, eager to eliminate them. Then he stopped. One of the scents was intimately familiar... He breathed deeply, singling out the scent from among so many. Yes, it was Rin. She was cleaner than she'd ever been before, but he could still smell the forest on her and distinguish her own unique scent; the forest held its own sort of perfume. Focusing on it so hard made him heady. Having the scent firmly in his mind, Sesshomaru opened his eyes. He was more than a little surprised to discover that several hours had passed. Ah-Un was soaking up the sun on a stone dais, snoozing happily, and Jaken was examining an insect next to her. With a graceful leap, Sesshomaru landed on the balcony of the second-story apartments. He walked until he found a certain one, one that smelled more strongly of Rin than any other place in the palace, although now that he could distinguish her scent, he realized that she had not been a prisoner; she had roamed everywhere. Cautiously, almost hesitantly, Sesshomaru broke the lock in the door and slid it open.

The room was dark, as its wooden blinds were drawn tight over the windows and the setting sun no longer shone on it. Despite this, Sesshomaru could see the luxuries that Rin had evidently lived in. She had definitely not been a prisoner. However…Sesshomaru sniffed again, and this time could barely stop a growl from rising in his throat. There had been a man here, and he had been here often. Too often. Sesshomaru whirled about and left the room, and explored the castle at a furious pace, searching every place that Rin had been. The man's scent was in almost every place she had been as well.

Sesshomaru hit his fist against a wooden door in a small, dark corridor, which appeared to be guest quarters, and it broke beneath his touch. Rin's scent was here, as was the man's. And there was also…the scent of…

_Rin's blood._

Sesshomaru's eyes exploded into a fierce, angry red that illuminated the pitch-black room (night had fallen) like a fiery torch. No evidence of the blood remained, but Sesshomaru could only guess what had caused it. No human male (or demon male, for that matter) that Sesshomaru had ever had the misfortune to meet would ever kidnap a woman and then let her run free about his house as a guest without exacting some sort of payment. Sesshomaru knew what a man and a woman did together, either with or without the woman's consent. He had no doubt about what happened in this room, or why the man had kept such a close watch on her.

Jaken gulped as he peered around the doorway to the room where his master was standing. Sesshomaru's shoulders were hunched, and he was breathing heavily in low, doglike pants, tinged with growls. His claws had extended inches past where they normally curved. His back was to the doorway, but the room glowed red like the fires of Hell, no doubt from Sesshomaru's eyes. Jaken had seen Sesshomaru like this before. With a squeak of terror, he backpedaled, tried to get away –

The world exploded in an earsplitting crash of breaking wood and shattering glass. Jaken screamed and covered his head with his hands, shielding himself from the falling wreckage. When the debris stopped falling, he cautiously opened his eyes, whimpering in terror. Sesshomaru, in his giant dog-form, towered above him. His eyes glowed a murderous scarlet, and his fur seemed to absorb the wan moonlight and burn with otherworldly white flames. His claws dug into the ground, creating gouges ten feet deep. He threw his head back and howled to the moon, a horrible sound full of fury, and promise of retribution, and strangely enough…worry. When he ceased, the night was so silent, the nocturnal animals were so cowed, that Jaken could hear Sesshomaru's heart beating in his giant chest, pounding on the white bones of his ribcage. The monstrous dog grinned ferociously down at Jaken, revealing double rows of pointed, sharper-than-razors teeth.

"Get on Ah-Un, Jaken, and follow me. I know where the man who took Rin is."

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

A weary farmer lay in bed beside his wife, exhausted from his efforts to quiet his squalling baby son. The boy absolutely refused to go to bed at a decent hour. His wife being sick from the birthing, the duty had fallen upon him. Now that the child was finally asleep, perhaps he could find a couple hours of sleep for himself before he had to wake tomorrow…

_Boom._

The farmer was jerked into instant alertness. What was that sound?

_Boom._

Were his eyes playing tricks on him, or did the sounds of the world disappear? The reed mat that hung on the mantle of the doorway to his house shivered as though a wind had passed through it.

_Boom._

This time, the small hut shuddered. His wife blinked, awoken from her slumber. "What was that?"

_BOOM._

The baby woke up, its shrill cries barely heard above the percussive sound that filled the air.

_BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM._

The ground moved as though it were alive. Earthenware pots and pans slid off their shelves and shattered on the hard-packed dirt floor. Farming equipment toppled. The farmer grabbed the baby and pulled his wife to his feet, and ran out of the hut. The small family fell together in a heap as the ground danced below them. Their small hut collapsed in a puff of dust and old thatch. The farmer could see his son's mouth moving as it cried, but he couldn't hear it at all. His wife had buried her face in the ground and was clutching it as though it was going to get away from her. The farmer looked wildly around him. What was making the ground move so? The gods? Had he angered them somehow?

His mouth dropped open in shock and horror.

A monstrous hound bounded above them, as large as a mountain. Its feet hit the ground with the force of a winter gale, crushing the soft soil and leaving impressions of gigantic paws in its wake. Every time one of its three feet hit the ground – it was missing one leg, but it did not detract from the terrible magnificence of the animal – the earth shook with repercussions. Moving like the wind, the demon dog with its glowing red eyes disappeared on the horizon, heading west, toward the great ocean that was only mentioned in bedside tales.

_BOOM. BOOM. Boom. Boom. Boom…_

The ground gradually ceased shuddering and bucking, and the world returned to normal. The farmer's ears were ringing with the sound of the demon's footsteps. He suddenly realized that his son had stopped crying out of pure fear, and was gazing at him with large, uncomprehending eyes. The farmer clutched his wife and infant son close to him, blessing the gods for granting them their lives.

_May the gods never disfavor us with such an experience again!!_

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

**Red Shagging Couch**: yesh, she said yes (insert wicked smile) buahahaha. Behold the emotional cliffhanger!! (insert second evil smile) as I said…Sesshy has his work cut out for him. Heeheehee.

**kittyb78**: thank you:)

**MimoriFanForever**: hope you liked this chappie:) the next chapter is going to be primarily Sesshomaru, I believe. Or the chapter after that, I can't quite remember…but pretty soon the story is going to start focusing on Sesshomaru's quest to get Rin back and his internal struggles too.

**natashasurgirl**: thanks for the compliment on the details! I noticed that in your stories too:) details and emotions are the most important part of stories for me. Words are simply a conveyance of emotion, after all, and were created for that purpose. I love language :D lol. I hope I portrayed Sesshy as particularly wrathful…he's going to have to keep a cool head if he's going to survive what's coming! (insert another evil smile) :D

**Chips Dip**: lmol. Success:D hopefully you liked the ending of this chapter too. I love pulling out of the story and showing it from a completely different perspective occasionally, I think it gives a sense that there's still other lives in the world around these characters…my dad always gives me weird looks when I react to my anime episodes. At first he thought I actually knew Japanese, then he figured out there were English subtitles…lol:D

**RisingXXXAngel**: thanks so much for the link:D I've seen all the movies, so it's okay if they're missing :). Ya, the age barrier (in other stories as well) used to weird me out, but then I remembered one of my fav sagas – the Lord of the Rings. Both Tinuviel & Elendil (crap, was it Elendil? I need to re-read the Silmarillion…I don't think it was Elendil… :P) and Aragorn & Arwen had centuries of age difference, yet they managed to overcome it by pure love. That's also why I try to withhold judgement when I celebrity couples with decades of age difference or even couples in my highschool (senior with an eighth grader, that was big fodder for gossip a couple of years ago). Even if it's a miniscule percentage of those couples that actually do love each other in the way love is meant to be…gah. Can't figure out how to end that sentence. I guess I'll just cite the Inuyasha series itself; love transcends time. lol. And ty for the compliment on the accuracy of the characters :D :D .

**dbg06**: hope you liked this one! The other one is already written and coming soon:)

**XxDawnxRiderxX**: I have never heard of Sesshomaru referred to as Fluffy before. I am now extremely happy that I honored my one true (anime character) love by naming my very first pet rat after him a full ten years before I even knew about him. (sighs dramatically). It's fate:D lol.

**ang18**: thanks:)

Wow. I got a TON of reviews for this chapter!! THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!! I FEEL SO LOVED:D :D :D :D :D May God bless you all with much chocolate. lol. :D :D :D :D :D

Morough


	6. Chapter 6

Taromaru retreated down the mountainside as the first rays of the sun began to break over the horizon. He spent the rest of the earliest hours of the day discussing tactics with his captains, what company should be here, the positions of the fletchers, the angle of the war machines, etc., etc.. By the time the first bird opened its beak to hail the sun, he and his men were all in position. Below them, the enemy army was awake as well. Small cook fires burned here and there, but for the most part they also stood watching their enemy. Waiting. An image of Rin's face, sweet and smiling, hovered before Taromaru's eyes. He blinked the tears away, glad that the thick leather of his helmet shielded his features from the men beside him.

"Now," he commanded, in a strained voice. Seconds later, a ball of fire a pace across hurtled down the mountain and landed squarely on a tightly packed knot of men. Their screams drifted toward Taromaru on the wind. His lips pinched in a tight smile. He couldn't quite experience pleasure from the sound, but satisfaction for their pain was enough. More fiery projectiles landed, followed by a shower of arrows and thin spears made to travel far and penetrate deeply. The enemy began to retaliate with their own war machines and arrows. Men behind Taromaru died quickly, but the bulk of them remained in formation.

_Boom. Boom. _

Taromaru frowned. Were they launching the exploding catapults yet? It was too early for that. The captains had been specifically instructed to wait until the first wave of the enemy had broken. Taromaru scanned the mercenary ranks, looking for signs of new fire and exploding shale.

_Boom. Boom. BOOM. BOOM. _

Taromaru could hear men screaming behind him. As he whirled around to look, he wildly wondered if the enemy soldiers could have possibly found a way to scale the mountain during the night and circle around behind them…but no. It was not the enemy.

At least, Taromaru prayed to the gods that it wasn't.

A gigantic, shaggy white dog with blood red eyes pounded to a stop on a mountain that towered over the plateau upon which the battle was raging. It was panting, and each labored breath sounded like the movement of a thousand trees in a strong wind. The battle slowed, then stilled, as every man in the battle gaped at the demon beast, arrows and swords falling from slackened hands. More than a thousand eyes stared at the dog. One pair of red eyes stared back. It lifted its nose in the air, sniffed the wind for a moment, then lowered its head and leapt off the mountain and onto the plateau. Men screamed and threw themselves out of the way as the force of the dog's landing threw showers of soil and boulders into the air. Then the dog walked slowly and deliberately to the hill from which Taromaru was dictating the movements of his army. Though it galled his pride, Taromaru turned and ran with the rest of his men – what could one man do against such a powerful demon, in any case? – But the demon-dog was quicker. With the speed of a whipping snake but the caution of a master glassblower, the dog's only front paw snatched Taromaru in mid-stride and pressed his body to the ground. The dog sat back on its haunches to keep its balance, and soon the hilltop was empty except for the dog, Taromaru, and a ragged circle of about fifty men who remained, training their shaking weapons on the dog's head and heart. This close, Taromaru could hear the red muscle pounding, providing demon blood to the dog's body.

_I didn't think I would die this way._ His mind strangely devoid of fear, Taromaru gazed into the dog's eyes. They were as large as windows, and a brown-gold color, though the black pupils were dilated to their full capacity, lending the dog a wild look. The dog's paw quivered on Taromaru's body, with either excitement or exhaustion, Taromaru could not tell. He waited for the final blow to come, for the razor-sharp ivory claws to rip into his torso and eviscerate him, but the demon made no move. More soldiers, emboldened by the demon's lack of action, joined the circle of spears. The circle of metal deepened, and the dog and the king remained silent.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

The sounds of battle reached Sesshomaru's super-sensitive ears long before he ascended the mountain. He bounded to its very top and stood their, watching with disgust how the humans fought and killed each other. _Inherently powerless, yet endlessly inventive. Such is the bane of demonkind._ He ignored them and concentrated in his mind on the man-scent he had memorized with Rin's. There it was, on the wind, mingled with thousands others…but at this proximity, Sesshomaru knew exactly where the human stood. Without a moment's hesitation, Sesshomaru bounded toward the scent, and quickly determined which man it was out of the mass of screaming humanity. _Finally. I will kill you for what you've done to Rin! _

He gazed into the worthless human's eyes, and found himself astonished by the lack of fear. Despite himself, his curiosity was aroused. Humans were such a weak species; it was as easy for Sesshomaru to read them as it was to blink an eye. Sesshomaru had come to find this human to first find out where Rin was now, and then kill him…but this man was different than what he expected. Sesshomaru had thought he would find a battle-scarred man who commonly thought more with the muscle between his legs than the one resting in his skull, a man who had kidnapped and violated an innocent woman. But now that Sesshomaru had found him, he was reading something very different in the young man's black eyes. This man never did anything cruel if he could help it, a rarity among humans. Yet, Sesshomaru was certain that this was the man he had smelled in Rin's bedroom; it didn't match up.

_This warrants clear thinking. I will not rush into a hasty decision. _

With a shudder of tired muscles, Sesshomaru withdrew his paw from the man's chest and melted into his humanoid form. Immediately he fell to his knees, managing to catch himself with his one hand just before he fell completely to the ground, as exhaustion overtook him. His demon-dog body had been able to withstand his five-day, non-stop run far better than his comparatively weak human form could. With a roar of surprise, the men that had gathered around Sesshomaru and Taromaru surged forward, throwing strong ropes around Sesshomaru's body, binding his arms to his side, before the daiyokai could regain control of his body. Dozens of spears jabbed his body and scratched his throat, held by hands that shook with fear and excess adrenalin. Rage rose in Sesshomaru's throat as the humans gloated and congratulated each other, thinking they had overcome him. _How dare they!?_ Sesshomaru tried to snap the cords that held him, but his body defied him. Never before had he allowed himself to be so completely overcome. _See? All for some weak human girl,_ a voice in the back of his mind whispered deviously, _you're losing sight of what's important to you, Sesshomaru. You are weakening! _

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and regulated his breaths. _No. I am not weak. This is what I choose to do. And physical strength is not the only thing gifted to me._

He took a deep breath, lifting his lips back to show his jagged fangs in a feral snarl. He snapped his eyes open. Immediately, the men crowded around him fell silent, catching the terrifying gaze. When Sesshomaru spoke, his voice was laced with poisonous malice, and a hint of a doglike growl.

"Step away from me now, and you will not die. The weakness on my part that you have witnessed is only a momentary side affect of my transformation, and it has already passed. If you back away now, I will not kill you. Choose wisely." Sesshomaru forced his breathing to become more ragged and the growl to become more pronounced, and flexed his claws so that the humans could clearly see them. The men glanced at each other, all traces of their merriment replaced by fear, then threw down the ends of the ropes and backed away. He allowed himself a small twitch of the lips that passed as an evil smile. _So easily fooled._

Now that the ropes were slack, he quickly extracted his arm from the tangle and ran a single claw up the ropes that still encircled his torso. With a hiss, the ropes curled and shriveled in the caustic presence of the poison from his claws. Men downwind coughed and gagged in the acrid cloud into which the ropes dissolved. With this display of demon power to cow the humans, Sesshomaru got to his feet, grateful that his hakama pants hid the shaking of his knees. Though their weapons were still pointed to Sesshomaru, the soldiers backed away as he walked toward them, leaving a clear path to the human male, who was being helped to his feet by a couple of retainers. He leaned on one for balance, clutching his bruised ribs, as Sesshomaru descended upon him.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

The demon-dog lifted its paw, and Taromaru gasped in air that he hadn't realized wasn't making it all the way into his lungs. Immediately a swarm of men rushed by him, presumably attacking the demon. Taromaru tried to order them not to kill him, but couldn't muster the air to move through his vocal cords. He coughed and tried to sit up, without success.

"Allow me, Taromaru-sama…grip my wrists…"

Taromaru allowed Ryoichi and another man to pull him to his feet, grunting as his ribcage and backbone objected to the movement. Finally, he was on his feet, and then he spotted the man walking toward him. _Not a man. A demon._ No human man had hair that shone the color of full moon, wore a blue crescent on his forehead, or displayed animal purple stripes on his cheeks. And his eyes – they were the eyes of the dog-demon. They burned with some inner mission as the demon approached Taromaru. Taromaru felt as though, with a single glance, this unnamed demon knew him better than the captains of his army.

The demon stopped a few feet away from Taromaru. His gaze ripped into Taromaru's soul; studying him, measuring him, weighing him. Then it spoke.

"Who are you? What did you do to Rin? And beware. I can hear a lie the moment it forms in your mouth."

Taromaru gaped at the demon. It knew Rin? _How_ did it know Rin? At the same time, Taromaru's heart lurched at the unexpected sound of her name. He blinked, breaking his gaze with the demon, and breaking the terror of his gaze. Anger replaced Taromaru's astonishment.

"I am called Taromaru, King of these lands. Who are _you?_" Perhaps it was not the best tone to use to address such an obviously powerful and volatile demon, but Taromaru's emotions had run ragged over the gauntlet of the past two days.

"Tell me where Rin is!"

"Not until you give me your name."

The man and the demon glared at each other, and soldiers shuddered as though they could feel the static energy created by their shared gaze. Finally, the demon spoke, in a very even voice.

"I am Sesshomaru." The way the demon spoke the sentence, Taromaru knew at once that this demon was very powerful indeed; it was not bluffing. The way he said it was the same as if he had said "I am the King" or "I am a god." Yet, it was not boasting or egotistical. The demon simply stated the truth of his power. "Now that we have exchanged pleasantries, tell me what I have asked you. I grow impatient."

Taromaru's brow furrowed. If he wanted to get information from this demon, he would have to play his cards right. "Rin is not here," he said simply, stating the half-truth. "How do you know Rin?" _I partially answer your question, you answer mine, and you get a little more. We will see who comes out for better in this barter for information. Let's see if I can train this dog to speak._

"Rin is my…companion. Confess to what you have done to her and tell me where she is, and I will make your passing an easy one."

Taromaru's eyebrows shot to his hairline at the two sentences. When the demon had spoken Rin's name, Taromaru had instantly recognized the pain that had flashed through the demon's golden eyes; it was the same pain of lost love that he felt in his own heart. _'Companion?' Rin, there are so many things you never told me. I never asked, but I never imagined something like this._ _A demon that loves you._ But the second sentence completely baffled Taromaru.

"'Confess?' To what?"

The demon's eyes abruptly shone scarlet, and his facial features elongated slightly, becoming more canine in appearance. The men that ringed Sesshomaru and Taromaru tightened as slightly as it dared.

"Confess to kidnapping and raping Rin. Beg for my forgiveness, and I may grant it! TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!"

Fury coursed through Taromaru, fury at the injustice of the demon's fallacious assumptions. Angrily, he ripped his arms from Ryoichi's grasp and took a step toward the demon, his hands clenching into fists. Angry, mocking words burst to his tongue.

"I did no such thing to Rin! I _rescued _her from some petty demon that held her in his thrall – o, pardon me, Sesshomaru the Great, could that have been _you_? – And I _protected_ her. I _loved_ her! She loved me! I cared for her in a way you obviously didn't! She was in rags and tatters when I found her! How could such a powerful demon misplace her so easily? Obviously she was nothing but a cheap possession for you! Tell me, how often did you get your kicks out of subduing a helpless human female? Or is it that you enjoyed her screams, you loved the terror that she felt when she tried to push you off –"

Taromaru's sentence was cut off as Sesshomaru's dagger claws encircled his neck. The demon was breathing heavily through clenched fangs, and Taromaru felt himself become slightly dizzy from the noxious fumes with which the demon was unconsciously lacing his breath. He could feel his skin burning as well, in the places where the very tips of the demon's claws touched the flesh of his neck. The demon's eyes burned with an unholy light.

"I will forgive your slips of the tongue, for now," he growled, his grip flexing on Taromaru's neck, "if you will explain to this 'petty demon' why you continue to refer to Rin in the _past tense._"

Taromaru's body un-tensed like a cut string, the dam that held back his sorrow broke. "She is gone. I do not know where she is." He was ashamed to hear his voice crack. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "_Explain._"

"Demons took her. This army that I fight now is a foreign army, from the mainland. The demons were foreign too, judging by description. I have assumed that she was kidnapped to be used against me, as it is common knowledge that I cared for her a great deal. Only few knew that we were engaged."

Taromaru had closed his eyes to force back his helpless tears, and missed the expression of shock and horror that briefly took over Sesshomaru's face. The next instant, his face was hard again. He let go of Taromaru's neck.

"You say you have a description of these demons?"

"Yes." Taromaru, regaining some of his composure, stopped and studied Sesshomaru for a moment, as Sesshomaru studied him. They both knew that they were both in love with Rin. They both knew that Taromaru had the upper hand, having Rin's promise of marriage; but Sesshomaru was the only one of them who could possibly find her and get her back. Taromaru turned, glancing at the men behind him. "Yutaka! Come here!" A man shuffled forward, clearly not wanting to come any closer to the demon than he had to, but compelled to obey his sovereign.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

The man wouldn't meet Sesshomaru's eyes, soothing Sesshomaru slightly. Yes, it was somewhat entertaining to confront a human who believed he was of equal status with Sesshomaru, even if it wasn't true by far, but to see a human properly overcome by fear in his presence was nice. The human beckoned the soldier forward and murmured a few words in his ear. The soldier took two halting steps toward Sesshomaru and stopped once again. He cleared his throat shakily, then spoke.

"I spoke with one of the men who survived the attack before he died. One demon had a red-and-black kimono with his hair in a long braid. One wore green and commanded a sizable host of small dragons to fight for him. The third was yellow and resembled a giant cat. The last demon was their method of transportation, a horse of purple flame."

Sesshomaru's demon blood ran cold as the man described the demons. _No. NO!!_ His soul screamed with anguish, though his face remained set in stone. He knew exactly who these demons were, and he knew exactly why they had targeted Rin. The knowledge of what they planned to do curdled his blood and sucked the strength from his bones. His legs folded under him and he collapsed on his knees with a soft _thump_ on the grassy ground. No one moved to help him. Taromaru stepped closer, his eyes hard as flint.

"You know these demons, don't you?" Sesshomaru nodded mutely in affirmation, unable to speak. There was a moment's pause, then Taromaru extended his hand. Sesshomaru stared at it for a moment, not comprehending he gesture. The realization that the human wanted to help him get to his feet shocked him. He looked up at Taromaru and saw only determination in his face. His own face changed to mirror it, and he got to his feet on his own, in one fluid movement. The human withdrew his hand, but there was no offense in his face.

"Do you think you can find her?" he asked, hope flickering in his brown eyes.

"I will." The demon turned as if to go, but Taromaru's voice stopped him.

"Will you be bringing her back here?"

Sesshomaru couldn't form a reply for a moment. He didn't want Rin to go with this man. But…if she had agreed to marry him…if she actually _wanted_ this human lordling…

"_Yes_," he hissed. Somehow, this word held the most venom out of their entire conversation.

A misty white cloud formed around Sesshomaru's feet, and grew thick and fast. The soldiers gasped as Sesshomaru calmly stepped on to the cloud. It held his weight and whisked him into the sky, carrying him far out of sight. Taromaru felt drained, both emotionally and physically. He passed a weary hand over his eyes. "Re-form the camp," he ordered, "and gather the wounded. We'll attack again in a few hours time. Prepare." The soldiers scurried away, relieved that the demon threat had passed and wondering at the exchange that had taken place between the demon and their master. Would the demon keep his word? Would they even survive this war to see that ending? No one knew. The future was never certain.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

DA DA DUUUUUNNNNNNNN….cliffhanger!! BUAHAHAA!!!

(cough)

heh heh. I couldn't wait for these two to meet. I was really pissed off tho, because I actually lost the first version I wrote of this...but I think I like this one better. the first one was funnier, but this one is more emotional...I think...lol

gah. stupid encoding again. it's not letting me put punctuation before the smiley faces :P. so the ellipses mean nothing, they're just separating the punctuation and the smileys :)

**dbg06**: who knows? (evil cackle) well, I do, but this fic won't end very quickly. It'll take about two or three chapters in guesstimation, then maybe another to wrap things up. :D

**Chips Dip**: this is exactly the type of thing that makes me wish I could draw :C meh. Maybe that's why I latch on to adjectives so much, lol. four days soon enough? ... :D

**kittyb78**: thanks! ... :D

'**loha**: thanks! ... :D

**XxDawnxRiderxX**:D :D :D :D :D :D man, if no one else says that about anything I write ever again, I'm going to be happy, because at least I did it once…:D and the cake is a bonus too, of course…fudge filling? ... :D lol

**natashasurgirl**: I actually built up my vocab in a really silly way. I wrote this one story when I was about twelve, my very first "real" attempt at writing, and my vocab was about ten words in variance, so I just shift-F7'ed for synonyms on Microsoft Word every time I felt like I needed something fresh. glad it worked tho!! lol. :D

In defense – although you brought up a _really_ good point about how the situation boils down, and that it might actually make Rin hate him might make an excellent plot twist (insert evil smile) – I kinna picture this as Sesshomaru waking up to life. before, it was just world domination on his mind or something, but all of a sudden Rin's gone, and he realizes after the fact that he loves her (although he's still not quite admitting it yet :P :). I agree, he's overreacting, but he has no idea _how _to react to this; it's completely new to him, which disturbs him as well. I actually had a really difficult time writing the one passage where he smells her blood. The conclusion he comes to is that the "unknown man" raped her, because Sesshy knows Rin really well and knows she's a little on the innocent side and wouldn't just leap into a relationship and start having sex (not really knowing what sex is…I mean, she never really got an opportunity to get close to any guys during her adult years, and Sesshomaru certainly wouldn't have "had the talk" with her! lol. that would be hilarious!). also, at that point the idea hadn't occurred to him that she even had the capacity to love anyone else. Sesshomaru being arrogant again! lol. so now that he found out that she's agreed to marry this silly human lordling…that shocks and galls him.

**anonymous fan**: hope you liked this one! ... :D

Morough


	7. Chapter 7

When Rin's senses returned, at first she couldn't remember what had happened to her. Slowly, very slowly, it all came back…the forest…the demons…Rin opened her eyes and sat up, her muscles slightly cramped from being huddled in a ball for so long.

The first thing she noticed was the cage. She was sitting on a large platform made of shiny black stone, and above her head arched an irregular, angular web of the same material. The next thing she realized was that her prison was open to the elements – the stone platform was the blunt top of a frighteningly tall tower, and offered no protection from the icy rain that was just beginning to fall. Rin crawled to the edge of the tower and looked down at the castle below her, but couldn't see a way down or even make out any distinguishable features of the building as the light of the sky disappeared behind thick clouds. Rin returned to the very center of the platform and curled up as small as she could, drawing the top layer of her pretty kimono over her head in an effort to keep the growing storm off. Numb with fear, she prayed to whatever gods were listening for protection before she fell asleep under the frigid caress of the storm.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

Sesshomaru stood at the edge of the onyx lake, his features smooth and expressionless. In defiance to his composed exterior, his clawed fingers nervously caressed the gold wire on Tokijin's hilt. The scents of the forest and the lakewater, and the taste of the wind were all intimately familiar to Sesshomaru. He had spent a great deal of time here, in his youth. He remembered this place well.

A giant castle festered at the center of the lake. Its tall spires were spiked and thin, blackened skeletal fingers that clawed for heaven, but never touched it. The turrets and buffets looked so thin and delicate that Sesshomaru almost half-expected them to snap like twigs in the strong wind that ruffled and tossed his long silver hair.

Sesshomaru suddenly gripped Tokijin tighter. There was a faint scent on the wind, so faint that he almost thought he had imagined it…

_Rin._

Sesshomaru's body jerked, as though to take a step toward the castle, when he froze, suddenly alert. A giant black snake uncurled itself from a high treebranch in front of Sesshomaru and dropped to the ground in front of him. It rose through the air, uncoiling its long body, until its face was level with Sesshomaru's. It hissed, showing long, ochre-colored fangs. Sesshomaru's golden eyes narrowed in distaste.

"Hello, Takai."

The snake hissed again, then stretched and bubbled until it formed itself into the form of the black demon that had been a member of the party that had captured Rin. He grinned, showing his red fangs again, in a very reptilian fashion.

"So, Sesshomaru, you have finally decided to return? You've been away far too long. Mother was most…unhappy, when she learned that your extended absence was more of a _permanent_ absence; but things do change, don't they? Change so that a man hardly knows his own brother. Change so that a man's brother abandons all precepts and finds himself some human wench to keep himself company and –"

"You are no brother of mine. I came here to speak with your mother, not to be taunted by the likes of you," Sesshomaru interrupted icily. "Either take me to her or allow me to find her myself, Takai."

The demon cackled evilly, morphed back into his snake form, and slid into the lake. Sesshomaru called up a small white cloud from the moisture of the lake and followed Takai-the-watersnake as he slid across the surface of the water to the obsidian palace. It towered over Sesshomaru as he drew closer; it would have towered over Sesshomaru even in his demon-dog form.

Sesshomaru's traveling cloud dissolved as he and Takai reached the partially immersed steps of the castle. Takai remained in his snake form, and left a long wet trail on the shining stone as his lithe body traveled through the dark entry hall. Sesshomaru looked neither right nor left as he walked, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead of himself – he knew where he was going, he did not need Takai's escort – but he could sense, rather than feel, the eyes watching him. Bulbous yellow, dripping green, poisonous blue, the eyes of demons great and small followed Sesshomaru as he walked steadily onward. Hissing, laughing, and gurgling whispers followed as well.

"…_He's back…"_

The interior of the castle was very similar to the outside; unending arches of glittering, iridescent black, like the carapace of a beetle. As he travelled the gleaming intestines of the castle, Sesshomaru could feel the air becoming warmer until it reached a point where it was almost smothering. His heart began to beat quicker in anticipation. _Almost there…_

Abruptly the narrow hallway in which he had been travelling flared out into a large hall. This room, Sesshomaru knew, stood on top of the one of the many rocky cliffs that the castle was built upon; this one faced east. At the easternmost portion of the hall there stood a dais. It sprawled in an irregular pattern, like a shriveled and bent hand of a long-dead corpse. Its chipped volcanic surface gleamed in the light of millions upon millions of tiny sparks of flame that floated in a cloud above the dais. Assorted demons were resting, laughing, and gambling at the base of the dais, but only one sat upon it. In a chair made of burnt human and demon skulls lounged a single woman.

Her long, red hair, made of whisper-thin tendrils of still-burning flame, flooded around her throne like a burning cloak. Likewise, her body was covered in swathes of fire rather than fabric and concealed near to nothing in her arrogance of her beauty – though few would be able to describe her as _not_ beautiful. Only those who could master themselves to stare into her soulless, greedy, cruel, proud eyes would be able to see her true face.

Sesshomaru was one of those few. He watched with barely contained disgust as the demon-witch rose from her dais and sauntered towards him. He used to think that he loved her, this demon-whore. Among demons, age is no factor – when you live forever, what is the matter with a century or ten centuries' difference? – this demon of flame had established herself in this castle aeons before a young and unwise Sesshomaru had stumbled onto her doorstep, seeking her legendary training. Oh, yes, she was very fond of collecting great and powerful demons under her many spells and entrancements; few escaped. Sesshomaru, again, was one of those few.

Now she was standing just before him, her hair crackling and hissing. The demons around the dais had fallen silent during their mistress' descent, and now they watched her with wide, fearful eyes.

Everyone present knew what sort of temper she would be in.

"Leave us," she hissed. Her voice echoed menacingly about the hall like a forest of trees in a wild wind. Within seconds the demons had silently vacated the hall, leaving Sesshomaru, Takai, and the flame-demon alone. With the hall emptied, her outward demeanor changed rather suddenly. "Sesshomaru-kun," she cooed, running a slender hand over his neck and chest, "it's been so long…why did you ever leave? I have missed you…" Her touch burnt, like it always had, although it left no marks of damaged flesh behind. Sesshomaru wordlessly raised his hand and pushed hers away. Her eyes, shockingly blue like the heart of a flame, blazed with fury. She let her hand drop to her side and walked back to her throne, sat in it, and gripped the armrests with clawed fingers.

"So. You have come back. I am surprised; I did not think you would have the courage to return, after running away like a coward." The word "coward pinged sharply off the polished walls. Sesshomaru took a step closer to the dais, his fists clenched and his golden eyes glowing as if they were on fire, too.

"I am no coward! I left because I had nothing more to learn from you or your 'kin.' And, as you very well know, I have not returned because I wanted to. You have lured me here for some reason – tell me."

The flame-demon giggled, and her hair and clothing deepened from the blinding white that they were before to a dark orange color. Her inner fire purred with contentment.

"Let's leave that little matter until later, shall we? There are some things we must…discuss, first. Now that I know why you left in the first place…a pouting, presumptuous reason, if I may say so…why did you return? To rescue the human female? How touching. The great dog finally found his bitch."

Takai laughed softly from the shadows behind Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

_Perhaps, if I can convince her that Rin is nothing to me, they will not harm her. I will still have to find a way to set her free…but they will not hurt her on my account._

"The girl is by no means the reason I came here. Your rather violent kidnap of her brought my attention to this place, yes, but I did not come on her behalf. Did you not notice that she has obviously not been in my company for some time? I dismissed her nigh on three months ago. You are more foolish than I thought if you believed kidnapping the human girl would lure me here to rescue her."

The flame-demon smiled. "I knew you'd say that," she said sweetly. She snapped her fingers.

A globe of fire burst into being not ten feet from where Sesshomaru stood, blowing his hair and clothes back and forth in a wave of caustic heat. Sesshomaru laid a ready hand on Tokijin, apprehensive. He watched the sphere expand, a cancerous growth of flame, then slowly burn low, and finally vanish completely. Sesshomaru had to struggle not to rush over to the spot where the fire faded, or rush to the fire-demon and slay her immediately.

A sodden lump of flesh and cloth lay where the fire had disappeared, shivering, despite the resent presence of the flames. Rin's hair and clothes were soaked, and beads of sweat glimmered on her flushed face, aside from the water. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow, punctuated only by the shivering spasms of her body. Sesshomaru listened carefully to her heartbeat, and was alarmed and distressed by what he heard; it was beating far more slowly than it would if she were simply sleeping.

The fire-woman giggled, then chuckled, and finally succumbed to an evil laughter highlighted by the dancing, now-furiously burning flames of her body.

"So, you care naught for her, do you? Fire is a part of all of us, Sesshomaru. Red fire, liquid fire, runs in our veins, the fire called blood that sustains us. I am connected to it all, I feel it all – and the moment our precious little guest appeared, your heart beat with fear, and worry, and – Heavens forbid – love! Do you _love_ the little human, Sesshomaru? How low can you sink, dog?!"

Sesshomaru snarled, his features elongating, and sprang for the fire-demon with a howl, drawing Tokijin in a furious burst of fuchsia light. Faster than a spark from flint, a sword of red-black flame appeared in the fire-demon's hands, and she blocked Tokijin's path. Foul smoke rose from where the two blades connected. Now the fire-witch's pearly, pointed teeth were bared in a rictus smile, and her eyes glowed with an evil light; they were fixed on Tokijin, and she licked her lips unconsciously, an action which was accompanied by a harsh sizzling noise where her tongue met her flesh. She spoke as though she were mesmerized.

"Tokijin…the most powerful demon sword in existence. I discount your dear, dead father's fangs, of course, because they come with such cumbersome _rules_, don't they? Yours, on the other hand, needs only to be won to serve a new master…_or mistress_…"

Sesshomaru abruptly whirled away, facing the fire-demon from a good distance away. "Is that what this is all about?" he asked, calmly conscious of Tokijin pulsing furiously in his fist and the faint flutter of Rin's heart. "You desire Tokijin?"

"_Yessssssssssssssssssssssss……………._"

The flame-demon's reply came not from one voice, but many, and Sesshomaru suddenly became aware that the crowd of demons had crept back into the hall, and now lurked in the shadowed recesses or hung from the rooks and rills of the ceiling. Sesshomaru spun about, prepared for a sneak attack, and the gathered demons laughed at his reaction. Still wary, Sesshomaru returned his attentions to the fire-demon. "You know I will not give it willingly," he said flatly, knowing exactly what the fire-woman was going to say next.

"Of course not. Now, at last, we come upon my reason for capturing your human trinket." She began to circle Sesshomaru, her golden gown leaving a trail of smoking stone behind her.

"You know me well, Sesshomaru. You know I am not a dishonorable person…" (Sesshomaru's eyes twitched at the sound of the lie in her mouth) "…and so, I humbly request a duel, for ownership of Tokijin."

Sesshomaru's lip lifted in a disdainful snarl. "Yes, of course, how honorable. I am surrounded by your associates, in your palace, and you hold my…possession…captive. I fail to see how this is honorable even in the meanest sense."

The demon cackled with amusement. "My 'associates' will not take part in his fight, Sesshomaru-kun. That being said…don't provoke them." The demons hooted with laughter.

"If I win, what will you do?" Sesshomaru demanded, not willing to leave any loopholes open, since it looked like he was going to end up fighting no matter what. The fire-demon's eyes narrowed, sensing his tone. "You will be allowed to leave."

"And the girl?"

"She may leave with you."

A pause.

"Then I accept your ridiculous offer; we will battle for Tokijin."

The fire-woman smiled. "_Excellent_," she breathed, hefting her sword of fire. Assorted thoughts jumped through Sesshomaru's mind as he and the fire-demon circled each other, their swords at ready. It was true, he did know this demon well (better than most at least), and she was a master swordmistress – she had taught him most of what he knew. She was crafty and cunning, and strong, also taking into account that Sesshomaru was missing an arm. If he wanted to use his poison whip, he would have to lower Tokijin, and giving her an even intentional opening would be disastrous in this fight. As they circled Sesshomaru faced the direction in which Rin lay, and spared a glance for her. He could still hear her heartbeat thudding irregularly against his own, so faint and fluttering. Sesshomaru set his jaw and gripped Tokijin tighter, willing himself to forget about Rin for the moment – he had to focus on this battle if he was going to come out of it alive.

"So timid, Sesshomaru," the fire-demon taunted, commenting on the lack of action, "this isn't the way I remembered you." Sesshomaru returned her mirthless smile. "You mistake timidity for caution; I will not underestimate you." The fire-witch grinned evilly.

"You already have."

With a whirl of red and magenta sparks, the two demon blades met once again. Their individual auras twisted and fought, just as the auras of their masters did as well. Since neither blade was made of steel – one of fang and one of fire – the battle was not accompanied by the martial clash of metal. There was, in fact, hardly any sound at all, save for the exertions of the combatants and the calls and cheers of the demon audience.

As Sesshomaru and the fire-demon fought, she surreptitiously kissed the first two fingers of her left hand, and a palm-sized dagger of black fire appeared on the tips of her claws. With a swift movement, coordinated by moving her sword to force Sesshomaru to raise Tokijin high in the air, she flung the little blade at his chest. Sesshomaru noticed it just in time and moved to avoid it, but the spelled dagger only caught him in the side rather than the heart. He immediately began to shudder with pain, although he refused to cry out or lessen his fighting.

"_Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!_"

Sesshomaru stumbled in surprise, and tried to locate the source of the horrible scream and battle the fire-demon at the same time. Suddenly, as he turned away to avoid her blade, Sesshomaru caught sight of Rin, writhing in pain."

"RIN!!"

Sesshomaru aimed one more savage blow at the fire-witch and dashed to Rin's side, though remembering to keep a tight hold on Tokijin. He looked on in horror as he realized that the still-unconscious Rin had received a wound to mirror Sesshomaru's; a jagged hole pulsing blood with every beat of her heart shone on her side, and radiating outwards from the wound (which had similarly torn her garment as it had Sesshomaru's) and Sesshomaru could see threads of cursed fire curling and burrowing under her skin, as it was under his. Sesshomaru rose to his feet and turned to face the smug fire-bitch, where she had stood back to let him examine Rin. Sesshomaru was shaking with fury now rather than pain.

"Explain!" he demanded in a threatening tone.

The fire-demon adopted a faux-innocent expression. "Oh, it's just a _little_ spell, Sesshomaru-kun. I just thought that, since the two of you are so _close_ to each other, that she would want to help you shoulder your burdens, have a little bit of empathy for you. It is not a two-way connection, true – I wanted to make sure you were in fit condition to fight, and the human toy is certainly not. That is a fair decision, is it not, dog-boy?"

Sesshomaru snarled and threw himself back into the fight, with Rin whimpering softly behind him beneath the derisive screams of the demon audience. The style of fighting was different now, with Sesshomaru more on the defensive than the offensive; before he had been willing to take risks in order to gain the upper hand, but now Rin's life was in greater jeopardy than before, and she wouldn't be able to survive very many injuries in her current state. Rin wouldn't live to open her eyes again if this fight continued on for much longer.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

Whooooo!! I updated!! I am determined NOT to abandon another single story. To excuse my absence…though it's been coming for a while, my family has finally fallen apart, and that pretty much has occupied my life (dealing with it, helping my remaining family to deal with it, etc.) for a little over a month, hence the absence. School's started too, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem this year…so I'll be back to updating fairly regularly after this:D

I know "the fire-demon" isn't a name, but there's a bit of a reason for that…to (hopefully, you tell me) add a bit of mystery and menace to her, and also because there's some backstory with her and Sesshomaru (that I will get to in another ficcy when this one is finished :D).

And I'm so disappointed that that anime site closed down!! I'm so bummed!! sighs oh well…but at least it led me to veoh…and has anyone seen that "Romeo x Juliet" anime? I'm not quite sure what to think of it…I like how they've jazzed and modernized the traditional Romeo & Juliet storyline, and Willy is absolutely hilarious, but Romeo seems a little too "prince charming"/perfect to me, and the show has had a couple of dragging episodes. It's not the best anime, but I think I enjoy it! What do you guys think?

XxDawnxRiderxX: hehheh. The competition will be fierce, the competition will be wild, and in the end, Rin will…buahaha. I shall withhold that information ... :D ... and it actually might not end all that soon…it keeps getting longer every time I sit down to write OO.

Natashasurgirl: I know I replied to this already, but I'd never replied to a review before, I thought it'd post for everyone to see…:P so I'm going sorta reply again here…:P fear would have been present because Rin woke up in Taromaru's mansion and had no idea what was going on or who had "kidnapped" her, and then you mentioned that Sesshy might not be able to differentiate between diff types of fear. And I'm sorry that chapter seven is so late ... :C and if there's anything else you find, I'd be extremely happy to hear it :) because your reviews really make me think – a good thing! ... :D

kittyb78: buahaha. He's getting there…or is he? ... :D

Chips Dip: I'm going to start trying! ... :D I think I'll start by just trying to draw characters from my fav animes (I'm dreaming of Kyo and Yuki from Fruits Basket ;D), so then I have something to go off :D. same here, I'm just using pencil, but there's this one girl at my school… she can draw really well, anime mostly, and she's got this markers that are ten bucks a pop! Insane! For ONE marker! And glad you liked the chapter! ... :D

Red Shagging Couch: I'm sorry…not soon…hides behind couch

LarvaxMiyu31: yay!! ... :D

random anonymous: thank you so much for the compliment! ... :D and sorry again for long update wait…but I'm back on track now! ... :D

wateveruwannacallme: haha, love your name! sorry about updating! And I'm actually having trouble deciding HOW Rin will pick her guy. I've kinna made up my mind who she'll pick…but that would leave the other one hanging, and I don't want this to end sadly! I've got my work cut out for me :P but at least I enjoy it! ... :D

oh and once again, I've had to put the ellipses in so that the punctuation will show up before the emoticons...

Morough


	8. Chapter 8

Sesshomaru's breath was ragged with snarls as he tried to kill the fire-bitch. Sparks from her hair and clothing drifted in the air like a swarm of murderous fireflies and burnt his skin and clothes, leaving lines and dots of charred flesh in their wake. She continued to throw daggers every now and then, and although Sesshomaru was nimble enough to avoid most of them, one pierced the outer thigh of his left leg and another nicked his elbow. The same wounds were magically inflicted on Rin.

_I…need…to end…this…_Sesshomaru panted inwardly, trying to find and opening in the other demon's defenses. He blocked; she parried. He slashed; she jabbed, and the two of them continued in their deadly dance. Sesshomaru roared in more of frustration than pain as the fire-demon's blade delicately carved a bleeding line from his shoulder to his waist. Rin didn't even react to the wound this time; her heart was beating so slowly…

Sesshomaru suddenly became aware of something knocking against his leg. Sparing a lighting-quick glance, Sesshomaru was startled to realize that the Tenseiga was rattling and bouncing quite unconnected to the movements of his fight. What was it trying to do? Should he draw it and –

But even lightning was too slow for fire. With a triumphant scream, the fire-demon slashed a deep gash on one of Sesshomaru's legs. Sesshomaru gasped in pain and stumbled, as the severed muscle matter could no longer support his movements. Rin twitched, but otherwise didn't react as blood trickled from her limb. The fire-demon stepped back for a moment to survey her damage, a satisfied grin on her glowing face. Her hair was flaring and crackling wildly, creating a mane of red fire about her head. Sesshomaru glared at her, and hate and loathing filling every particle of his being. As they resumed their fight, a small, weary voice that Sesshomaru hardly recognized as his own spoke hesitantly within his mind.

_Will it be Tokijin or Rin, Sesshomaru-kun? Which one do you love more? Would you die in pursuit of power, or of love?_

_Both!_

_Then you will lose them both._

Sesshomaru snarled and swiped another black dagger out of the air with Tokijin's gleaming blade.

_Make your choice._

_NO! _Sesshomaru's pride would not allow him to simply relinquish Tokijin – there was no way he was going to give this demon opponent that satisfaction. Yet, if he continued to fight for a victory, he would lose Rin…that much was true, at least…

_MAKE YOUR CHOICE._

Gathering his strength, Sesshomaru whirled in a circle, using his pivot to add extra strength to his blow; then he threw Tokijin, spinning the hilt as it left his hand. The sword spun in a tight spiral, becoming a cylindrical bolt of flashing light. The razor-sharp beam of glimmering fang pierced the surprised fire-demon square in the chest. Her eyes widened with shock, and she dropped her sword from nerveless fingers; the fire from which it was born vanished into nothingness before it touched the floor. Milliseconds later, as Tokijin had just left his hand, a thin whip of light extended from Sesshomaru's claws and wrapped around the fire-demon's slender, honey-colored neck – as she retreated uselessly from Tokijin (which was already lodged in her body), the whip tightened around her throat, first holding her in place, then severing her head from her body as her lifeless trunk fell to the ground. Her inner fire flared briefly, then died, and her body smoldered and smoked like a coal from a dead fire.

A deadly hush fell over the gathered demons; they were stunned and shocked that their mistress was vanquished. Taking an advantage of the lull, Sesshomaru sprang towards Rin, knelt beside her (his leg burning in pain as he did so), and swept her up with his arm. He maneuvered his hand to rest two clawed fingers against her neck, the same two fingers that had only just extended poisonous fibers. A slow, weak pulse met his tender touch.

"_KILL HIM!!!"_

The wild scream, inhuman by even demonic standards, tore through the assembly, and was immediately echoed by the gathered demons. Sesshomaru could see Takai – the one who had screamed – was leading one wave of demons toward him, and he knew that they were coming from all sides. Sesshomaru gritted his teeth and clutched Rin tighter against his body, knowing that he'd never be able to fight his way free with her hindering his only arm.

_At least I will die protecting her. I will shield her with my body as long as I can. May her death come swiftly._

Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet began to quiver and rumble. The demons halted their advance and looked nervously at each other, afraid. The tremors worsened. With shrieks of fear replacing their previous bloodlust, the murder of demons began to fight each other to get to the exits. Confused, Sesshomaru looked around for what could be causing this distraction. Then, his eyes widened as he realized –

_She would never give this castle up willingly, even over her dead body._

Sesshomaru called up a traveling cloud as quick as he could and dropped Rin's limp form onto its cushioned surface, and leapt onto it beside her. At his command, the cloud sped toward an open window, and Sesshomaru prayed that they would reach it in time –

**BOOOOOOOMKSSSSSSSH!!**

A thick wall of heat and flame exploded from the ashen carcass of the dead fire-demon, burning stone to liquid and then to vapor in a flash. The island disintegrated under the pressure, and for three days after a steady rain fell from the heavens from where it had evaporated from the lake that had previously surrounded the magnificent castle. Two extremely lucky things were all that preserved the lives of Sesshomaru and Rin: the initial concussive force of the explosion pushed their travelling-cloud out of the window Sesshomaru had been aiming for, and that once they were out of the castle the thick volcanic rock absorbed most of the fire and pressure.

Although, of course, it didn't stop _all_ of it.

Sesshomaru refused to let himself scream – even in a situation such as this – but his muscles and vocal cords contracted painfully in an effort not to do so. Boiling air and vapor burnt his clothes to tatters and a good amount of his hair as well, and his skin blistered and ruptured under tongues of fire and slivers and burning rock. He convulsively clutched Rin close to his body to shield her from the worst of the explosion, and she was so close to him that even within his pain, he could almost feel her heart beating against his own. Suddenly, a particularly large shard of stone hit Sesshomaru on his left hip. He almost choked, trying to contain a yelp of pain, when he was suddenly aware that he was enveloped in soothing warmth; it was akin to the sensation of being completely immersed in soft, warm water. Sesshomaru opened his eyes and sniffed the air experimentally; all odors of burning were gone, save for the lingering and somewhat unsavory odors of his burnt hair and blood. There was also a comfortable blue light surrounding him and Rin. He was startled to realize that it was Tenseiga who was supplying both the comfort and the light – the last chunk of rock had split Tenseiga's sheath. Afraid that the fang would slip from its holder and fall to the earth below, Sesshomaru painfully extracted the weapon from its case and set it down next to himself and Rin. The cloud was so soft, and that warm light was so soothing…Sesshomaru struggled to stay awake, but his battered body and worn senses couldn't keep up with his will. For the fist time in his life, Sesshomaru allowed himself to be overcome by weariness.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

Taromaru wearily shrugged is heavy armor off his back and onto the floor, then peeled off his sweat-caked tunic. He grunted in discomfort as his bruised arms lifted a heavy basin of water from a shelf. He sat cross-legged on the floor of his tent (only slightly larger than those of his soldiers', and layered with furs instead of wool), and gingerly began to wipe the blood and dirt from his skin, carefully cleaning out the minor scrapes and not-so-minor bruises. His hair was a mess as well – Ryoichi would have to comb it for hours to get it back to its original clean, un-gnarly state. Sometimes Taromaru considered just chopping it all off…but the ladies did like it. Rather, Rin liked it…

Taromaru paused in his ablutions as his heart clenched in a pain far greater than any on his body, as it always did when he thought of Rin. He didn't notice, but his men were beginning to develop awe for him bordering on reverence, due to his extreme ferocity on the battlefield…Taromaru used the military conflicts as an opportunity to leave his conscious mind behind and allowing it to engage in only primal, primitive violence that required no elevated thought process. It was only now, as his army sat licking his wounds and peace reigned for a few hours, that Rin rose again in his mind. Her dark hair (almost as long as Taromaru's) rippling as an orange-blossom scented wind ran its invisible fingers through it, the warm touch of her calloused hands, the liquid innocence and inner tranquility in her eyes…the love of Taromaru's vision abruptly turned black, like something burnt, and was clawed to pieces by frightening images of Rin's broken and bloody body lying inert on the floor of some dark cell, her pretty eyes dulled forever by the grim veil of death…Taromaru realized that his fingers were beginning to cramp painfully around the sponge he held in his hand. He carefully peeled his fingers away from it and massaged the wooden muscles.

He wondered if that demon – that Sesshomaru – had found Rin, or had even been able to free her. Or – and this was the more heartrending option in Taromaru's mind – what if he _had_ found her, and simply carried her away with him because he had never intended to return her to Taromaru? _After all, everybody knows you can't trust a demon's word._ Taromaru's hands slowed again as he recalled the demon. The demon had held a degree of determination in his eyes that convinced Taromaru that he would be able to find Rin, no matter what; and the love in his eyes spoke that he would protect her with his life. As for returning her…the demon had a distinct aura of nobility about him. Integrity. Honor. Even though Taromaru detested the idea of this _demon_ rescuing Rin, he decided that this demon, at least, would keep his word.

Taromaru was suddenly aware of a commotion outside his tent. He got up quickly (for the moment forgetting his bruises), shrugged on a clean kimono, and was about to go outside and see what was happening – _I hope it's not another attack – _when Ryoichi stuck his head in the tent, almost colliding with Taromaru's chest.

"Forgive me, Lord Taromaru-sama!" his voice was almost squeaky with excitement, "but the demon has returned! A cloud fell out of the sky and landed in the field, the same cloud it had left us on!"

Taromaru's body was immediately tingling with apprehension and adrenalin. "Lead the way," he commanded. He was surprised by how calm his own voice sounded. Outside his tent, soldiers were rushing from all over the camp to get a look at the now-legendary demon that had left in pursuit of the Lady Rin's kidnappers. They were so busy trying to get to the field that very few of them noticed that the plainly-dressed, scruffy man in their midst was their own liege, and Taromaru had to almost fight his way through the throng to get to the center of the circle of men. The cloud was still dissipating, as a thin mist hovered above the ground, and reduced the figures (or was it only one?) on the ground to nothing more than thick shadows. A soft blue light hung eerily over the fog, lending the scene a mysterious aura. Taromaru stepped cautiously into the blue fog, trembling with excitement. Ryoichi followed hesitantly behind him, surreptitiously making a sign against the evil eye. Within the blue mist, all sound of the surrounding soldiers vanished, and all Taromaru could hear was his own footsteps on the grass. Taromaru cried out when he saw only the demon, lying on the green grass covered in blood and burnt flesh – _where is Rin!?_ – And then realized that the demon was holding her in his arms. An unexpected, uncontrollable burst of anger flooded Taromaru, and he quickly pushed the demon on his side, separating Rin from its limp arms. Taromaru's heart and stomach lurched when he saw Rin – it was so wonderful to see her, but she was hardly in any better shape than the demon. Taromaru cradled her in his arms and caressed her face, distressed to see Rin like this. He laid trembling fingers on her neck, and was so relieved to find that she was still alive that his own heart almost seemed to stop.

"Fetch a healer," he said to Ryoichi, not taking his eyes off Rin's limp form. The servant bobbed obediently and jogged out of the mist, drying tears on his kimono. He was back in seconds, with a wizened, white-bearded man following him, a small sack of medicinal herbs and tinctures slung across his back. "Put her down!" he said sharply, letting his bag drop with a thump as he knelt beside Rin's body. Taromaru hastily laid her back down, settling her limbs straight as though she were sleeping on her back. The doctor quickly went to work, pushing her clothes aside to examine her wounds with such frank indifference to her modesty that Taromaru had to turn away to hide his blushes and push some unneeded thoughts regarding Rin's body out of his mind. He wondered how the doctor could be so invulnerable. The doctor sent Ryoichi away occasionally to warm water or seep herbs, and after an hour pronounced that he had stabilized Rin enough to move her someplace more comfortable. "Take her to my tent," Taromaru said immediately, thinking of the soft and comfortable furs. The doctor covered Rin up again and instructed his aides to shift her onto a litter and carry her to Taromaru's tent. The doctor was about to follow them when Taromaru grabbed his arm, delaying him. He had to force the next words out of his mouth, and was almost ashamed that he had to do so.

"Tarry a moment – will you tend to the demon?"

The doctor raised his eyebrows in question. "What demon?"

Taromaru frowned and glanced around the field. He was surprised to realize that the demon was gone, and that the mist had faded, and the blue light was from the lightening sky as the sun approached. He let the doctor go and stood staring at the place where the demon had last lain. His eyes followed the trail of blood and flattened grass from where the demon had dragged itself into the forest, by the look of it.

_Well, demons are like animals – perhaps they too crawl off to be by themselves when they die._

Taromaru offered a brief prayer for the demon's passing (it had brought Rin back, after all), even though it had no soul, then jogged away to catch up with Rin's litter. The circle of soldiers returned to their tents to gamble, sleep, and discuss the day's events. None of them remembered seeing the demon go either, and most came to the same conclusion that Taromaru did, although with much unkinder sentiments. Good riddance, they said – that's one less demon in this world, anyways.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

Sesshomaru had dragged himself into the forest when the men were clustered around Rin, blocking her from his view. Distantly, as though the thought was not his, he wished he cold have seen Rin one last time. When he had regained consciousness he had seen Taromaru standing away from Rin at a distance, and for a moment his dog-nature had risen to dominance and Sesshomaru wished he could have killed the man, sank his fangs into his neck and ripped apart the vein, eliminating the human from Rin's life…but his battered body and the more sensible half of his mind told him that such an endeavor would be almost impossible in his state of injury, and not in Rin's best interests.

It was beginning to rain. Sesshomaru welcomed the cool liquid from the sky on his scalded skin. He remembered the last time he had received a serious injury, when his upstart younger brother had sliced off his arm. He had taken shelter in a forest then, too, and a young human girl had brought him sustenance and bandages, not caring that he was a demon. His situation now was parallel to his situation then, but this time he had no hope that the same girl would come to him. Rage welled up inside Sesshomaru, giving him the strength to get to his feet and stumble deeper into the forest, limping because of wounded leg.

_After all this, after all I've gone through to raise her and keep her safe, I've only lost her to some _human Sesshomaru seethed. _How dare she fall in love with him, and not me!_ Sesshomaru was very conveniently forgetting, at this point, how indifferent and (on occasion) cruelly he had acted towards her. The muddy ground splashed splotches of mud on his ruined kimono, and silvery rainwater trickled down leaves and branches, coating them with a soft shimmery layer of water. His senses were relived by the sound of the mild rainstorm; the scent of damp bark and clean water soothed his scorched sinuses, and the soft patter of rain on the millions of leaves and foliage soothed his aching ears. Sesshomaru finally stumbled upon an abandoned cave. Knowing that he needed warmth, he forced his exhausted body to gather some wood that hadn't yet been dampened by the rain, and laid it in a pile on the floor of the cave. With a weary flick of his whip, Sesshomaru knocked two stones together, and the sparks landed on the wood. He blew on it for a few minutes until the sparks caught, then stripped off his kimono and began to tend to his wounds. The rainstorm provided a soothing coolness to the stone cave, which reminded Sesshomaru of Tenseiga. He had shoved the naked sword into his sash when he left the crowd of humans. Sesshomaru tugged it out of his pile of clothing and eyed it suspiciously; it was doing nothing extraordinary now, as it had done to protect him and Rin from the explosion.

His rage had lessened, and his body was calling for him to rest. Sesshomaru thrust the Tenseiga aside and leaned up against a wall, closing his eyes. Unanswered thoughts still lingered behind his closed lids.

_Tenseiga reacted to my love for Rin, that is the only answer_, he decided. _Totosai had told me that the swords was failing due to having nobody to protect, and once I had Rin back, it reacted positively…but now she's gone…_Sorrow for his loss overwhelmed him. _Perhaps I can convince her to forget that human, _Sesshomaru thought wildly,_ I can prove my love to her, I'll take her away, and we'll live together someplace far away…_

_But doesn't she _love_ Taromaru? _His small voice said, _didn't the human say that she had agreed to marry him?_

_He could have been lying. Humans lie._

_But that one didn't…you didn't hear the lie, did you?_

…_No. But I could convince Rin differently._

_How? You abandoned her, and she gave her heart to another. You have no right to ask her for it back, when you scorned it so before. You are not deserving of it._

_Yes I AM. There is no one more deserving of her than I! _I_ took care of her, _I_ saved her from Hell, _I_ saved her from these demons – _

_Perhaps she hates you. _

This thought chilled Sesshomaru.

_She can't hate me. Rin doesn't hate._

_Don't underestimate a woman's heart. _

That was a horrible prospect, that perhaps Rin hated him. It made Sesshomaru feel miserable, then angry – why should he feel miserable about an insignificant human girl? Why did he ever decide to protect her over Tokijin? Now the sword was lost, probably incinerated, or buried at the bottom of the lake. He was a fool. He should never have let his priorities get mixed up.

With that thought Sesshomaru drifted off into a dark and empty sleep, trying to ignore the small voice that was trying to tell him differently.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

Rin was sleeping somewhat peacefully now; the pain had disappeared from her face, but a small sheen of sweat glistened on her brow. The doctor had assured Taromaru that the fever would break soon – "she seems to be a very resilient girl" – then left to tend to the wounded soldiers, promising to return every hour at least. Every now and then Taromaru would wipe Rin's face with a damp cloth, wishing he could do more for her. The doctor had described her wounds in a tone of mild disgust, and both he and Taromaru agreed that only a demon would be so depraved to inflict such injuries on an innocent girl. Now her wounds were cleaned and stitched, she was clad in a fresh robe, and was lying beneath a layer of furs in Taromaru's tent.

Taromaru was so happy to see Rin safe and on her way to a recovery that he almost forgot to consider her rescuer beyond the respect he had paid it on the field. Taromaru realized, with a small twinge of guilt, that he now had absolutely no rival in his love for Rin – that past she had was gone now, dead with the demon.

Taromaru wondered what had happened between Rin and the demon during her rescue. They had arrived wrapped in each others' embrace, after all. According to the demon, the two of them had spent most of their lives together before she had ever met Taromaru. _Does she still have feelings for the demon?_ He wondered as he gazed uselessly at Rin's prone form. _But he _is _dead;_ he reminded himself, _nothing could ever happen between them now. Whatever may have happened, it happened in the past…she's mine now. _Taromaru reached out a hand and began to gently run his fingers over a lock of her hair, loving the cool smoothness of the lock. _I am so happy that Rin is back. Now I just have to end this fruitless war, and we can live together as we agreed, Rin, my love._ Taromaru blessed the gods for reuniting them.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

Rin's battered body took two full days to regain its strength, during which time Taromaru kept close watch over her, spending every free moment not spent on warmongering in her presence (even if she wasn't aware of him). After that second sun had set, Taromaru's intermittent vigils paid off; he looked up as he was writing a letter to an injured vassal's family to discover that Rin was stirring beneath her furs. He tossed the parchment aside and dashed to her side, rejoicing when her eyes finally opened. The soft, doe-brown eyes blinked once or twice, and then focused on Taromaru's face. Confusion and joy chased themselves across her features.

"T-Taromaru! You rescued me! Oh –!"

Overcome with happiness, Rin threw herself on Taromaru in a huge (for her) hug, almost knocking the man over. Taromaru laughed and squeezed her gently, mindful of her half-healed injuries. Her body felt small and he could feel her ribs (since she hadn't been able to eat while she was unconscious), but it was _Rin._ Gods, this was heaven. They knelt their in each others' embrace for a while, then Rin finally broke away, wiping tears from her face.

"But how? How did you find me? And rescue me?"

Taromaru felt a twinge of annoyance, as he wasn't able to say that he had done it himself. He hesitated; so she didn't remember being rescued by Sesshomaru? Perfect…he actually _could_ say he had done it himself, and she would never know differently, not with the demon dead. As the thought crossed his mind, however, he was immediately repulsed by it. No man of honor would tell such a lie.

"I did not rescue you, Rin."

Rin looked confused. "But…how did I get here? The demons didn't return me, did they?" Suddenly, her eyes widened. "You didn't bargain with them, did you? Tell me you didn't!"

Taromaru put his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. "No, I didn't give in to their demands. A…I had a…well…another demon rescued you for me."

Rin raised an eyebrow. In her experience roaming the lands with Lord Sesshomaru, no demon would do something like that for a human unless there was some profit in it. "That is kind. And what did the demon demand?"

"Nothing. It died from its wounds soon after delivering you to me."

Pity filled Rin's eyes. "Poor demon! What was his name? I will offer incense at the temple on his behalf."

Taromaru watched Rin's eyes carefully as he spoke his next words. "The demon's name was Sesshomaru."

Rin's face didn't change expression at all. "What did you say?" she asked, her voice small and trembling. "It…it was my Lord Sesshomaru who rescued me?"

"Yes," Taromaru said flatly. He didn't like her reaction. Rin's eyes filled with tears, and then overflowed, spilling down her face and rolling off the sleek furs like pearls. "You s-said that he…d-died?" She choked out. Taromaru nodded yes.

Rin exploded into uncontrollable tears and threw herself back down on the furs, burying her face in their sweet-smelling softness. Stony-faced, Taromaru awkwardly patted her back as she cried. When her tears showed no signs of lessening after almost ten minutes, Taromaru quietly gathered his things and left the tent, leaving Rin alone with her sorrow.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

_My Lord Sesshomaru…dead!?_ Rin couldn't believe it. How could such a strong, resourceful demon like her Lord Sesshomaru just _die!?_ It was unthinkable! Impossible! And, setting that aside…_he _rescued_ me? Why would he rescue me? He told me to go away, I was only a human to him, and he hates humans, so he hated me…_

But had he?

Rin recalled Taromaru's words. _"It died from its wounds soon after delivering you to me."_ Things just weren't adding up. First of all, Sesshomaru agreed to rescue Rin for Taromaru. Secondly, he was so devoted to the task that he allowed himself to be so severely wounded that he perished – something the Sesshomaru Rin was familiar with would never have willingly done, especially for a human. So why did he do it for Rin? Rin's heart supplied a ready answer: _he _did_ love me._ But that was impossible. Sesshomaru detested humans. He had sent Rin away. How could he love her, if both those things were true? But his actions spoke more for him…he had _died_ for her…Sesshomaru was dead…dead and gone…she'd never see him again…

Rin fell asleep crying, and her dreams were full of Sesshomaru's noble face, rotting and blackened in death.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

Sesshomaru sat in a tall tree, far enough away from the camp that no one could see him, but he could see them – his vision was far sharper than any human's. He was watching the figure of a young woman dressed in white, leaning on a young man's arm to walk. She seemed distracted, missing rocks or branches in her path and stumbling on them quite frequently. Rin's face was also very blank, an unwelcome change from her usual lively and happy personality. A memory from his boyhood lessons tickled the back of Sesshomaru's mind; in human culture, white was the color of mourning. _And who could she possibly be in mourning for, eh?_ The small voice at the back of his mind asked (he had spied on Taromaru to learn of Rin's condition, and had heard the human confessing to his manservant that Rin was devastated at the knowledge of Sesshomaru's "death"). Sesshomaru tried to ignore that voice. _She's in love with the human and she hates me, _he reminded himself. It made things easier to think that she hated him. _she may feel sorry for me – though she needn't – but she is still in love with that man_. Soon that white kimono would be replaced by a pink one, one of marriage, and she would be that human princeling's happy wife. Who would want to wander with a dangerous demon if given that other opportunity? Sesshomaru's claws dug into the bark, sending alarmed beetles scurrying for safer trees. The couple took one more turn about the forest clearing, then slowly made their way back to the camp. Sesshomaru leapt down from the tree and stalked back to his cave, viciously kicking branches out of the way.

His situation had deteriorated since Rin's rescue, but Sesshomaru didn't particularly care. His wounds had healed quickly, thanks to his demon blood, though his hair remained jagged and burnt, so he had cut it to an even length and pulled it back with string woven of long grass. His kimono was ruined beyond repair, so he had stolen one from one of Taromaru's vassals while he was away at battle. The kimono was finely made, almost up to Sesshomaru's standards, and was black with thin gold threads woven in a pattern around the hems. He had even repaired Tenseiga's case. However, in spite of his outward appearances, Sesshomaru was irritable and couldn't find it within himself to move away from his cave…he was so close to Rin, here. He despised himself for his weakness. Why was he, Sesshomaru, the Lord of the Western Lands, so affected by this silly human girl who wasn't even in love with him? _Fool!_ He told himself, slashing an innocent tree with his claws, and relishing the sight of the bark peeling and dying under his touch.

"Do you have my money? Let me see it. I won't tell if you anything if I don't see it first."

"As you wish…"

Sesshomaru's ears pricked at the sound of human voices. He silently crept closer to them, concealing himself behind a very old tree. A man dressed in Taromaru's colors was conferring with two officers of the mercenary army.

"Are you satisfied?"

"Yes. The Lord Taromaru spends three hours each day with his girl, and they always take a walk in the woods during that three-hour period of time. They walk through the camp, past the kitchens, and rest in the clearing over there." (The man was obviously pointing somewhere, and Sesshomaru didn't have to see his hand to know where he was indicating.) "They have a pair of guards follow them, but for reasons I'm sure we can both think of, the guards don't enter the clearing." (Sesshomaru's lip curled in a mirthless smile; the most Rin and Taromaru did when they were alone was to hold hands, very chastely. These humans did have active imaginations.) "The four of them would be very easy to pick off."

"Your information is most valuable. If the endeavor succeeds, there will be another five thousand for you as well."

"Thank you!"

There was a rustle of branches and the patter of booted feet, and the forest was reclaimed by the sounds of wildlife once again, unaware of the traitorous plot it had just witnessed. Sesshomaru's blood rose from a simmer to a boil. So they were planning on killing Rin along with her human beloved?

_They will not succeed. This I vow._

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

Yay! I tried to make this one longer, I think chappie two has been my longest chapter yet…I had a hard time trying to get into Taromaru and Sesshomaru's minds on this. :P

**kittyb78**: thanks! … :D

**moishoha**: thank you! … :D

**RisingXXAngel**: thank you for the compliments, and for your kindness … :)

**Contaminated Love**: heehee. Gee darnit, I guess I'll just _have_ to finish this story now…lol. … ;D. so I have dodged the hand of death and updated. Buahaha. Hope you enjoyed it! … :D

**wateveruwannacallme**: here it is! .. :D

**XxDawnxRiderxX**: I'll update hopefully by or on next weekend! … :D now we've had some fluffy angst. Heehee. And now…will he save only Rin, or Taromaru too? Oh, decisions, decisions… D

**natashasurgirl**: ugg. Spelling again. I read too fast when I proofread. … :P Ty tho! … :D

**chips Dip**: heehee. She still has an option to reject Sesshy, depending on his actions in the next chapter…buahaha. Heehee. And, lol, I'm updating the same day you're reviewing, so I hope this is soon enough! … ;D


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